Make a wish
by ThatAverageDude
Summary: When Nick gets the opportunity of a lifetime to travel to the Pokémon world, he expected anything but an icy cold legendary as his guide. Being stuck with a Jirachi for the remainder of his stay, he questions if his decision was worth it. However, sometimes wishes do come true as the two get to know each other better and develop a bond that even transcends space and time itself.
1. I wish

**Completely edited and largely rewritten as of July 18th 2018. Enjoy! :)**

 **Big shout-out to my buddy LovelyMew over on Sofurry for helping me with the battle at the end.**

* * *

Fire.

Everything was burning. Thick black smoke rose up to the ceiling of the small apartment as a result of the menacing red flames that had set everything ablaze. Its sound was a crooked melody only accompanied by the creaking of the burning floor, the flames licking at the wood and turning it into charcoal.

He couldn't see; he couldn't breathe. He was completely paralyzed, yet his legs kept him standing up straight for reasons he couldn't comprehend. His sister! Where was Kate? Scream, do something!

Nothing.

The inferno crackled on erratically, dancing in a satanic rhythm only understood by death and not caring for the man's unfortunate circumstances.

A face appeared in the smoke.

Terror filled his gut as bloodshot eyes stared back at him. Burning in the fire was Kate. Unblinking, she stared straight into his very being.

''Why?''

His mouth moved, but no sound came out. He wanted to embrace her and cry out!

No chance.

His sister's dead face faded into nothing; only the laughter of the fire remained. Then, the building gave an ominous creak, like a big sigh of relief now that it could finally rest from its heavy labour of desperately trying to keep the weakened structure together, and it did.

The walls gave away with a loud rumble, burning cinders and soot filled the air as debris closed in on him.

This was it.

Then, he heard somebody laughing. A dark figure floated in the air. It grew closer and whispered in his ear. ''Your family will be burning in hell, and soon, you will follow.''

An unknown voice calling out in panic over the—

''Nick!''

The young man awoke with a jolt, sweat dripping from his face and heavy bags underlining his eyes. A nightmare. The auburn-haired student looked around wearily. His New York Yankees hat had fallen from his head, and his classmates were either snickering or giving him a funny look.

''Could you please repeat what I just said?'' his teacher asked him impatiently. Nick rubbed his eyes, trying his best to ignore all the sudden attention he got. ''Something about the ankle?'' he guessed.

More snickers.

''Yes, Mr. Smarty pants, then you can probably also tell me what the consequences are of an inversion trauma,'' the old anatomy teacher replied unamused. The young man shrugged his shoulders as he put back on his hat.

''Right, if you're not interested in my teachings and would rather sleep, by all means, there's the door. You know that you're not obliged to follow these lessons.''

The teacher sighed. ''Anyone else?''

''The anterior talofibular ligament would most likely rupture partially, or completely.'' A girl in the front answered.

''Excellent! Now when you hypothesize this, there's one standardized test to confirm, and a couple of symptoms to look out for. Firstly, you can use the anterior drawer test and secondly—'' The words grew incomprehensible for Nick. That dream he'd had chilled the young adult to the bone, and it scared him immensely.

Of course, it was just a dream. None of it was true. Kate was still home, happily keeping the apartment nice and tidy, like she always did. But that dark being that floated in the air; Nick had been scared shitless when it had set its eyes on him. Its demonic voice sent an icy shiver down the young man's spine even now.

Luckily, this was the last class for today. After this, he would go home, help his sister around the apartment a little, and then go straight to his part-time job.

Nick worked in a local factory, a job that he didn't particularly like, but he needed the money to take care of his sister, and mainly, to stay in college, because the twenty-three year old student lived on his own.

After his father got diagnosed with lung cancer, and it was clear he wasn't going to make it, his mum's mental health took a turn for the worse. She started to pick up her old habit, namely drinking until she'd pass out. As a result, she became abusive to Kate, his younger sister.

Kate was a sweetheart, and often felt frightened and lonely with only her mum around. Many times already Kate had come over in the weekend, bruised all over and completely in tears, begging her big brother if she could stay with him instead.

It broke Nick's heart to see his sister like that. His mum needed help, and fast. So, with a heavy heart, he'd called up the police and Child Protective Services. They needed little effort to get enough evidence. Like a banshee, his drunken mum had screamed as she was arrested.

The judge's verdict was pretty clear; Nick's parents were incapable of taking care of Kate any longer. So, since the young man was an adult, he took responsibility, and he got complete custody over her. Naturally, Kate was overjoyed that she could live with her big brother. He remembered how she had hugged him with teary eyes, how grateful she had been when he showed her around the apartment, and how she told him she loved him.

Kate meant the world to Nick, and he would do everything in his power to protect her. There was only one problem. Nick didn't have the money to pay for Kate's college tuition at all.

His sister reassured him not to worry. She didn't care as long as she could live with Nick. She would take care of the apartment while he was at school, and she did so with much enthusiasm.

* * *

Finally, the class ended, and Nick hastily left the building. It was already getting dark, and he wanted to get home as soon as possible.

With his headset on, and his Blackberry in his right hand, Nick began his travel back to his apartment. Fortunately, the train wasn't overly crowded, and the young man's mind quickly began to wander, slowly drifting away on the beat of the music.

'Why can't life be easy, like in Pokémon?' he thought longingly. The auburn-haired man was kind of a dork, especially when it came to Pokémon. He considered himself a pretty huge Pokémon geek. Nick had enjoyed the games when he was little, and he still did to this day, often playing competitively against other players.

He often dreamed of being a real Pokémon trainer too. Traveling the vast, rich world and catching new Pokémon everywhere he went sounded like the coolest experience he could imagine!

He sighed. He had to stop daydreaming. This was real life, not some sort of make believe.

Leaving the train, Nick's apartment luckily was only a short five minute walk away. Light was visible through the closed curtains when he arrived, indicating his sister was probably in the living room, watching a cheesy soap opera or something of the sorts. She did that a lot.

Unlocking the door, he went up a flight of stairs before entering the living room. Needless to say, his assumption was more than correct, and the young adult chuckled at the scene. His sister was watching a cheesy soap all right, but she was also crying her eyes out at the scene while a huge bowl of ice cream was on her lap.

''I don't know whether I should laugh about the fact that I was right about you watching some cliché romance flick, or the ironically over the top reaction you're displaying right now.''

He gave her a flashing grin, narrowly dodging a fluffy pillow that was thrown his way. ''It's not funny, Nick!'' Kate said with a frustrated huff. ''Mable just reunited with her lover again after twenty years!'' She stated this like it was a huge deal, and her tone and sour look suggested she was being completely serious. Nick thought it was extremely adorable and couldn't help but to tease her.

''C'mon, sis,'' he chuckled, ''you know that sort of thing only happens in movies, right? It's so unreal that it just becomes boring. How old are you again?''

His teasing had the desired effect as Kate threw another pillow in his general direction, Nick bursting out in laughter while fleeing into the kitchen.

''Like you're the one to talk, Nick the _Pokémon master!_ How old are you again?'' she shouted in return teasingly. The young adult blushed at the jab.

''That doesn't count and you know it. Pokémon is for all ages!'' he weakly countered. His sister giggled at his reaction, clearly knowing that she won that round. ''By the way, food is in the microwave, Nick. I know that you have to go to your job in like an hour, so I've already done all the chores around the apartment.''

''Thanks, sis!'' Nick responded appreciatively. ''What'd you cook?''

''Pasta.''

''Nice.'' Nick nodded his head. That would certainly hit the spot.

''How was school today?'' Kate asked curiously, starting some idle talk. The auburn-haired man poured himself a glass of water, before joining his sister on the couch. ''You know, the usual,'' he replied, shrugging his shoulders dismissively.

''You're lying. The heavy bags under your eyes say otherwise. I'm worried about you, Nick. Do you get enough sleep?''

Concern was evident on Kate's face and in the tone of her voice. Truth be told, he wasn't getting enough sleep at all. Seven days he'd been having those nightmares. Add his busy life to the mixture, and you got a match made in Hell.

Coincidentally, all his nightmares were about fire and had some dark entity in them Nick couldn't quite identify. Yet at the same time, familiarity hit him every time he saw the floating demon. The details of the entity became more realistic in each dream as well, but that didn't do anything to settle Nick's nerves, or help him figure out who it was supposed to be.

That _thing_ was truly terrifying, and the young adult desperately wished to get a good night's rest and forget all about it. But at the same time, his mind kept nagging at him to find out who it was. He had definitely seen that dark figure before, but where?

And then there was that unknown voice. It was like a wake-up call; always ending his dream, never showing who it belonged to. He couldn't even recall how the voice sounded afterwards anyway, it was that blurred, and it made only more questions arise in his mind than give him answers.

While wracking his brain with these thoughts, he replied to his sister's concerned question automatically. ''Don't worry, sis. Everything is fine,'' he absentmindedly muttered to her.

Needless to say, Kate wasn't convinced at all, and gave him a stern look. ''Nick.'' She warned her brother. The serious tone snapped him out of his train of thoughts, and he smiled at her sheepishly.

''Ah... okay, maybe everything is becoming a little overwhelming. I'm just tired, that's all,'' he reassured her softly. She pouted at the answer, but didn't object. Instead, she tried a different approach.

''Why don't you skip work for today? Watch some movies together? Heck, I'll even let you pick the movie you like!'' she offered gently, trying to persuade him.

''Even if I want to watch Pulp Fiction?''

''No!'' his sister retorted immediately. ''That's an exception to the rule and you know it.''

''Oh come on! It's Quentin Tarantino at his best. It's a masterpiece,'' Nick gushed.

''It's trash. The movie doesn't make any sense. And you've watched it over nine-thousand times already,'' Kate brought in, not budging in the slightest.

The young adult chuckled at her reply, before shaking his head. ''You know I can't skip work, Kate, as much as I want to. I need the money.''

''Nick...'' Her voice was filled with sadness. ''I rarely see you anymore, big brother. Please, just stay?''

She sounded desperate, and Nick felt heavily conflicted with the situation at hand. How could he convince her that he had to go without making her upset? ''Kate... I—'' He sighed before readjusting his hat out of habit, unable to find the right words.

The silence that followed was palpable in the room, as Nick struggled for an answer, but in the end, none came.

*ping*

The sound of the microwave broke the silence instead, and Nick reluctantly turned his head away in guilt. ''My meal is ready,'' he stated lamely.

The lack of response from his sister made him wince internally, and he knew it was his cue to leave. ''All right...'' He muttered softly while getting up to retrieve his food without another word.

* * *

Nick didn't join Kate in the living room afterwards. He couldn't. He felt miserable, sick and above all else, tired. He never enjoyed his job, but tonight it was easily a hundred times worse. When he returned home, his sister had already gone to bed, and he too crawled under his covers.

Sadness overwhelmed the young student. He just wanted a break from it all, not having to think about all of his troubles. With much difficulty on his end, the auburn-haired man fell into a deep slumber.

* * *

'Huh?' Nick thought incredulously. He was stupefied. How did he get in a grassy flower field? Moreover, the sun was shining brightly and a comfortable breeze blew through the air, which felt very pleasant. But that couldn't be possible. It was winter where he lived. What was going on?

''Greetings, Nick.'' A deep voice said behind him, not unkindly.

The young adult abruptly turned his head towards the speaker, and perked a brow in confusion. ''Who're you suppose to be? Morgan Freeman backwards?'' he sarcastically replied.

Before him was a middle-aged man, clad entirely in a black suit. His skin however, was pale, and his hair as white as snow; exactly the opposite as Morgan Freeman might dress when he would play as a divine person. The man chuckled at the student's remark good-naturedly.

''Not quite, but if you like to interpret me that way, then go ahead,'' the man retorted warmly. ''Or you can just call me King if you like,'' he added afterwards.

Nick snorted inwardly. King was his name? Or was that his last name? Either way, the auburn-haired man was cautious.

''So, am I dead, Mr. King?'' he asked the man with an edge of sarcasm. He had no idea what was happening, but decided to roll with it.

''Oh, absolutely not. You're just asleep I assure you,'' King spoke with a deep laugh, giving him a kind-hearted smile. This didn't do anything for Nick's cautiousness, though.

''Of course. You're just some random person my mind thought up. So essentially, I'm talking to myself. _Great!_ " Nick threw his hands up in the air in frustration. He was going insane.

King didn't reply at first. He only chuckled and shook his head slowly. ''Do you really think your mind has been coming up with all those nightmares as well? The fire, the entity... your sister dying?''

At once, Nick became deadly silent. ''How'd you know about all that?'' he asked King threateningly.

The man was unfazed, and just kept on smiling. ''Relax, I'm not here to hurt you. No, I'm here for to exact opposite.''

This time, the young adult let his guard down just a little. ''I'm listening,'' he said with a hint of interest in his voice.

''Excellent! I've seen how much you've been struggling lately, Nick, and it saddened me. So I thought, why not help you out a little? So here I am,'' King stated happily.

The young man snorted, obviously not believing him. ''You're actually going to help me? Why? And how would you be helping me? You're not real as far as I know,'' Nick replied unconvinced.

The older man smirked. ''Of course I'm going to help you, and that's the thing, Nick. I can actually grant you your biggest wish, and you know that I'm telling the truth,'' he said, solid like a rock. It was like King was stating a fact, and oddly, to Nick, it very much sounded like one. He believed the man, and his eyes widened slightly, wondering if he knew about his fantasy he'd dreamed about so many times.

Apparently, he did, because his next words almost blew Nick's mind. ''Seven days,'' King said coolly. ''I'll even send someone over for you as your guide. No time will pass until you've returned,'' he offered to the young adult.

The auburn-haired man was speechless for a moment. Did he really—? ''Wait, wait, wait! So let me get this straight. You can actually _send_ me to the _Pokémon_ world?'' Nick began to laugh at the sheer ridiculousness. This couldn't be real... Could it?

King was unamused, though, and replied seriously. ''Yes I can. However, I cannot pinpoint the exact location where I'll be teleporting you. That's another reason why I will get you a guide. Just tell me what area you would like to visit the most, and I'll get you there as close as possible.''

Nick didn't know what to say. King was being serious! But why? How? The student was too hyped-up to care for these answers. He would be going to the Pokémon world! Nick could barely keep his excitement in check.

''Okay, okay. So I can pick which area I want to visit, right?'' Nick asked for confirmation, to which King nodded. ''Well... what if I want to visit someone instead of somewhere?''

''That can be arranged as well. Who did you have in mind?'' the older man asked him curiously.

Nick blushed a little out of embarrassment. ''Ah... I really like this certain Pokémon. She's a legendary, so I imagine she's seldom seen. I would have no idea where to look for one,'' Nick admitted while rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

King understood. ''So it's settled then. I will send you to the Pokémon world for seven days. After that, you'll be teleported back immediately. No time will pass in your world, and you'll wake up in your bed. In addition, I'll get you as close to the location where I know Latias have their natural habitat as possible.''

King smirked at the dumbfounded look Nick gave him. ''How did you figure—never mind, just... thank you. Oh, by the way, who's going to be my guide?'' the student asked excitedly.

''You'll see.'' The older man gave him a wink. ''Welcome to the world of Pokémon, son. And enjoy your stay!''

Everything started to get bright for Nick, and he had to shield his eyes as a result. Right after, he felt like he was falling, before suddenly, everything seemed to melt away into a sweet nothingness.

* * *

Tired. So tired. A heavy yawn escaped Jirachi's lips, her eyes fluttering open softly as confusion took a hold of her. Had it been a thousand years already? It couldn't be. Her streamers—which were folded over her as a blanket—said otherwise as they felt way too comfortable.

An anomaly, surely. Those tended to happen every now and then. With another cute yawn, she decided not to question her abrupt awakening any further, and instead, let sleep claim her once more.

''Jirachi!''

She ignored the terribly icy and familiar voice that had spoken her name. Maybe if she lay completely still and didn't respond, he would leave her alone?

''Jirachi!''

The legendary Pokémon grumbled. Of course he wouldn't. That would go against the laws of the universe.

''Jirachi!''

This time, the tiny Pokémon angrily snapped at the disembodied voice. ''Would you please shut up already? I'm trying to sleep here!''

What followed was a deep rumble of laughter. ''My sweet dear Jirachi. Don't you know there's no sleep for the wicked?''

The psychic and steel type rolled her eyes at the response. She was way too tired for this nonsense. Her comfortable cave deep in the mountains almost echoed his voice across the walls, which made it impossible for Jirachi to ignore him.

''All right, why did you disrupt my slumber?'' Jirachi asked irritably. Honestly, she just wanted to get this over with, and go back to sleep.

''Well, my dear. I've got some bad news, and some good news,'' the voice replied evenly, to which the legendary Pokémon gave a snort.

''You've got _news?_ That's why you woke me up? Sometimes, I still wonder why I am your mate.'' Jirachi sighed.

''Because you know that I can give you all the pleasure in the world,'' the icy voice countered her smoothly. ''But let's talk about that later. Right now, I need you to do something for me.''

''You're kidding me, right?'' the psychic legendary asked flatly. There was no way in the distortion world that she was going to leave the confined space of her cave right now.

''I'm afraid not, dear. I finally managed to find the right person for my plan, all the way from another world. A human to be exact. He should be close by your location. I promised him a guide and you're going to play that role.''

In an instant, Jirachi went from annoyed to furious. '' _What!?_ I'm not going to be a guide for anyone, especially not for something as pathetic as a _human!_ Why don't you find somebody else to play as your Mudbray, huh? I'm going back to bed.''

The enraged Pokémon was done talking, but the disembodied voice would have none of that. ''Yes, you will be doing this!'' the voice thundered through the cave, making Jirachi flinch.

''You will bring him to me. You only have to keep watch over him; make sure nothing happens and you'll be good. Afterwards, I'll be sure to reward you generously. And you know I always keep my word.''

The pissed off psychic and steel type let out a low growl, knowing that she didn't have any choice in the matter. ''Fine! But don't expect me to give a shit about this human. I'll watch him and that's it,'' she yelled out angrily.

The voice stayed silent for a moment, before responding reasonably. ''Fair enough. I didn't expect you to anyway. Just... don't throw him off of a cliff or something.''

Jirachi huffed. Now she had to leave her cave and deal with an annoying human for the rest of the week. _Great!_ ''Right. Just tell me where I can find this human,'' she spoke tiredly, rubbing her head in annoyance.

The legendary Pokémon could feel the beginning of a headache starting to rise already. This was without a doubt, going to be the worst week of her life.

* * *

 **Day 1  
**  
This was going to be the best week of his life! While Nick had awakened terribly due to the fact he had been lying on nothing but rocks, King had apparently kept his word. He groaned, warily opening his eyes to take in his new surroundings.

Fresh mountain air filled his lungs, and while he had no idea where he was, one thing was for sure: he wasn't in New York anymore. He chuckled to himself inwardly while grinning like an idiot at the same time, unable to keep his excitement in check. This was either a very elaborate prank, or he really was in the Pokémon world.

Dusting off his pants and putting on his hat, he watched in awe at the huge pillars of rocks that rose everywhere around him. ''Beautiful,'' he muttered to no one in particular. Checking his pockets, he was surprised to find that he not only had his headset with him, which was around his neck, but his Blackberry too.

''Huh,'' he spoke out pleasantly, not having expected this in the slightest. Like he predicted, though, there was no signal on his phone. He'd have to do with his music then. Shrugging his shoulders dismissively, he decided to look around a little.

It didn't take him long to find an opening to the outside world from the very large mountain he was currently standing on, and the view left him breathless. A huge forest stretched on for miles underneath him. Everywhere that he looked he saw trees, rivers and heard the occasional chirp and chatter of the birds that lived there. It was like he'd landed in a paradise.

It was the calls of the birds especially that made a huge smile stretch across his features. He recognized the names they were squawking immediately, and it filled him with giddiness. ''Those are Swellow and Pidgeot!'' He giggled stupidly. It was not a prank; he really was in the Pokémon world!

He was already imagining all the Pokémon he would meet: the excitement, the adventure! And in the end, he hoped that he would see a Latias in real life. Latias had always been one of his favourite Pokémon ever since he was a kid, and it would be his goal this week to at least get a picture of one.

''Yes!'' he shouted at the top of his lungs, throwing his hands in the air in sheer joy. He was sure that he looked like a lunatic, but he didn't care. Right now, he felt like the happiest man alive.

* * *

'What a lunatic,' Jirachi thought spitefully. She was supposed to spend her entire week with this guy? The psychic legendary sighed in disdain. She had arrived just mere seconds ago, and already she had a huge urge to push him off the edge of the cliff he was currently standing on, and just go back to sleep.

She huffed angrily. Why did she agree to do this again? Let her mate kill her for all she cared; that way, she at least wouldn't have to pretend to be a stupid guide. Sighing yet again, she began to float closer to the human, who had now lowered his hands. He was still staring over the forest with a content smile on his face when she approached, but he didn't seem to be aware of her presence at all.

'Typical,' she thought sourly. He appeared to be lost in his thoughts, and when the small legendary was finally in arm's reach, she cleared her throat indignantly to get his attention.

Nick flinched at the sudden sound, and whipped his head around to look at the owner of the voice. When he saw her, his eyes almost threatened to fall out of his skull right then and there. 'No way,' he thought incredulously. He wasn't even twenty minutes in this world, and the first Pokémon he came across was a legendary? Naturally, the young adult responded the only way how he could.

''Holy shit, a Jirachi!'' he exclaimed loudly, freaking out a bit. If she wasn't so close to him already, he was sure he would've pointed and stared.

The Pokémon in question rolled her eyes in annoyance, clearly irritated by Nick's statement. She had her arms crossed in resentment, before she responded dryly. _''Yeah, hi.''_

''Holy fucking shit! You know telepathy as well? That's so awesome,'' he responded exuberantly. It was very odd for Nick to hear a voice inside his own head that was not his, but at the same time, it was pretty pleasant as well, like listening to music. Moreover, the Jirachi's voice was very light and feminine, which was delightfully soothing, actually.

''So, are you a female?'' the auburn-haired man questioned out of curiosity, just to make sure. He knew the games stated that Jirachi was genderless, hence why he asked. The last thing he wanted was to assume her gender and look like a fool.

At that moment, the tiny legendary almost exploded on the spot. _''All right, listen here, you hairless Ambipom,''_ she snarled furiously _, ''Let me get one thing clear; I don't give a single crap about you. I'm merely here to get your sorry ass to your location because I have to and that's it. So don't go around asking stupid questions just because you're an idiot by nature. Get that through your thick skull!''_ she yelled at him without remorse.

Nick was taken aback by her brash behaviour. Sure, he noticed the annoyance on the legendary's face immediately when he saw her, but he was too excited at that moment to care. Now though, after her sudden outburst, he didn't know how to react.

''Sorry,'' he opted to mutter timidly after a while.

The psychic and steel type snorted. _''_ _Of course_ _you are,''_ she responded sarcastically. The words stung, and Nick had trouble ignoring them. _''Well? Are you coming, idiot? Or are you going to stand there all day looking like a retard?''  
_  
The young adult was at a loss for words. Was she for real right now? ''I have a name you know,'' he replied softly.

 _''Don't care,''_ was her simple and cold response.

Nick quickly realized that her lack of empathy for him was something he had to deal with. He sighed heavily and decided to follow her down the mountain path in complete silence.

Nick wasn't going to let her get to him, though. He was going to enjoy this week, period. This Jirachi wasn't about to change that. Still, he was pretty curious about her, so he couldn't help but to ask her some questions anyway.

''So, you're a Jirachi, huh?'' he heard himself ask stupidly.

 _''No, I'm a freaking Bidoof in disguise!''_ she replied in a snarky tone, rolling her eyes in clear irritation before shaking her head. Nick cringed inwardly at Jirachi's response, berating himself silently for asking the obvious.

Trying again, in a much more level-headed voice, he asked her, ''What's it like being a legendary Pokémon?''

Curiosity dripped from the human's lips, and for a second, he thought she was actually going to respond seriously.

He should've known better.

 _''Fantastic, if you love granting wishes for greedy ignorant humans,''_ she retorted, not even bothering to look at him.

Nick ignored the heavy sarcasm in the legendary's voice and instead grinned at the other tidbit of information she just told him.

''Aha! So you do grant wishes for humans,'' he exclaimed victoriously, like he'd just solved a puzzle. It looked like the Pokédex entries he remembered from back home were fairly accurate.

 _''I never said_ _ **I**_ _did, idiot. Learn to listen for once. You humans are so simple minded,''_ she retorted tiredly.

Unfortunately for the psychic and steel type, the young man was still hopeful, and couldn't help but to ask further. ''Would you grant me my wish?''

 _''Yeah, unfortunately, that requires an imagination,''_ she mocked him, making Nick frown.

''How _old_ are you anyway?'' he asked, getting a little frustrated with the Jirachi's behaviour.

Shooting him a dirty look, she grumbled, _''Asking a girl for her age? Haven't you learned manners at all? Guess I was expecting way too much from you.''  
_  
Gritting his teeth, he gave a forced smile. ''Do you at least have a name? Or do you just go through life as Jirachi _the grump?_ "

The legendary hissed dangerously at him. _''What about you!? Do you just go through life as a freaking interrogator!? It's annoying as shit. Sheesh!''  
_  
Nick sighed loudly. This wasn't going anywhere, and so, he decided to stay silent for now. The duo was slowly descending alongside the mountain path, but the forest was nowhere in sight yet.

''You know, you're actually a bit bigger than I would've expected,'' he noted. If he had to go on his knowledge from the games and the sixth movie, she should be much smaller.

 _''Too bad we can't say the same thing about you,''_ she said mockingly, immediately shutting the human up.

Deciding to ignore that last remark before he did something stupid, the human gave up on his fruitless efforts to make small talk, and instead fished around in his pocket for his Blackberry to listen to some music. The device beeped, making the legendary turn towards him fully for the first time since they met.

Nick gave a small smile now that he at least had her attention. ''Curious about my phone, aren't you?'' he questioned her teasingly, waving the piece of advanced technology around for emphasis.

 _''No, I was just admiring your manly chest,''_ she countered, sarcasm practically dripping from her mouth.

The young man's face turned sour for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure before explaining. ''It actually plays music. It'll go through this device that you can put over your ears,'' he pointed at his headset, ''and then it will almost sound like it's playing inside your head. It's actually somewhat like telepathy, but less strong. You wanna listen?''

The Jirachi rolled her eyes. _''If it'll drown out your annoying voice and questions, then sure, why not?''  
_  
The auburn-haired man couldn't help but feel a little bit giddy again. The headset actually fit over her head rather nicely, and after it was secured, he selected one of his favourite songs.

With bated breath he watched the facial features of the tiny legendary change; her unsure look at the intro, her confused frown when the pace quickened, and the widening of her eyes in astonishment at the satisfying drop.

Grinning from ear to ear when the song had ended, he expectantly waited for the legendary's reaction. ''Well? Did you like it?''

Truth be told, Jirachi did enjoy the song a lot, but she wasn't going to tell him that, of course. Eying him like he was possessed by a ghost Pokémon, her face turned into a dark scowl. _''I thought you were from a different world? Because I'm sure I heard a Jigglypuff orgasm this way once!''_ she said with disgust in her voice.

Nick was flabbergasted beyond comprehension as the Jirachi turned away from him with an annoyed huff once more. Crossing her arms, she beckoned him over silently towards where she was looking.

''I can't fucking believe yo—''

However, Nick's angry rant was interrupted rather effortlessly by the powerful psychic. _''Stop your yelling, idiot! That music was crap, simple as that. Don't like it? Find somebody else to get your sorry ass off of this mountain,''_ she stated angrily.

The human grumbled darkly, but otherwise said nothing.

 _''We're entering territory that's known for its deadly rock-slides, and believe me when I say I'm not bothering trying to save you if your loud mouth causes one, so be silent for a change.''  
_  
Breath getting ragged, the human complied, turning the volume from his headset down just a tad to be safe. Silently getting lost in his music, Nick's mind began to wander. 'This freaking Jirachi is a pain in the butt. But I'm not going to fold to her. I will enjoy this week no matter what, damn it!'

Fortunately, the duo crossed this part of the mountain without trouble, before Nick spotted something moving at a slope from his left. Smile widening, he paused his music to voice his reaction.

''Oh wow, a Geodude,'' he exclaimed happily. This was his first wild Pokémon encounter since he was sent to this world and Nick's enthusiasm was nothing but contagious. The rock and ground type paid the duo no mind, slowly moving large chunks of rocks out of the way for who knows what reason.

''How awesome was that!?'' he exclaimed to Jirachi, like a kid who just got ice cream.

 _''Very,''_ she muttered dryly, not in the mood to talk to the auburn-haired human. She was tired, irritated and her headache was actually growing. Really, it couldn't get any worse.

''Hey there, mate!'' a foreign voice suddenly called out to the two. Startled, Nick turned around to see a hiker clipped with six Pokémon balls around his belt make his way towards him.

''Hi, are you a Pokémon trainer?'' Nick replied in turn, smiling slightly as the hiker widened his eyes at the Jirachi.

''Dude, no way! You actually have a legendary Pokémon!?'' he asked in disbelief before answering Nick's question. ''I'm a trainer for sure and I challenge you to a battle right now!'' He stated while pointing a finger at the student in a dramatic pose.

''The name's Toby, by the way. Do you accept my challenge?'' The hiker asked for confirmation.

Without even thinking, Nick responded, ''Sure!''

His first real Pokémon battle; he couldn't believe it! Excitement welled up in Nick once more, and he expectantly looked at his guide to take her spot on the field. However, said guide was almost fuming with anger and her face had turned into an ominous scowl.

 _''What in the distortion world are you thinking!?''_ She yelled inside his mind _. ''Do you really think I'm going to act as your Pokémon just so you can battle this guy!? Not even in your dreams, you nincompoop!''_

The auburn-haired man was baffled once more. Deep down, he should've seen this coming from a mile away, but yet, he was still gaping like a Magikarp on dry land at her reply. ''B-but—,'' he couldn't even come up with a counter argument. She just denied him this opportunity to be a real Pokémon trainer, simple as that.

''Hey, are we still going to battle or what?'' Toby inquired impatiently.

Nick gave a nervous smile in the hiker's direction. ''Ah, it seems my Jirachi doesn't want to battle right now... sorry,'' the human muttered weakly in an apologetic manner.

''What!? What kind of nonsense is that? You're its trainer right?''

''Well no, I-I mean yes! But, she's tired… and stuff,'' he mumbled while trying to contain his blush. Shame welled inside the student's body, his fists were clenched to try to keep his cool and sweat was pouring from his face.

''I'm sorry, but I just can't battle you,'' Nick concluded finally.

Toby gave an angry huff. ''Wow, then why did you accept so eagerly?'' he spoke with malice in his voice, before promptly leaving the scene.

 _''Good riddance.''_ Jirachi commented indifferently. Floating further down the mountain path, she abruptly blasted Nick with some of her psychic powers, who yelped in surprise.

''What was that for!?'' he angrily asked.

 _''For assuming I was going to play as your Pokémon! Don't ever try to do that again, got it?''  
_  
Closing his eyes to keep himself from lashing out to the legendary Pokémon any further, he stiffly began to follow his ruthless guide once more, contemplating how he was going to manage to be with her for an entire week.

At last, the sun was about to set, and a small mountain village at the horizon was visible. They'd reached the edge of the forest.

 _''That's Argil Town. It's famous for their hand-made pottery. We will stay the night there.''_ Jirachi explained.

''Finally!''

Nick let out a big sigh. His feet began to hurt, he was hungry, but most of all, tired. He couldn't wait to take a hot shower, devour a warm meal and then snuggle under some soft blankets.

The psychic and steel type was pretty tired herself, but there was no way she was going to sleep in a town with potential trainers. A nearby cave would be just fine, and that's exactly what she was planning to do.

Once the duo had reached the plaza, the moon had taken its place from the sun. No street lights were present to illuminate the small town, making all the cries of wild Pokémon quite eerie. Nevertheless, Nick didn't let this bother him. Once they were inside the Pokémon center, he had nothing to worry about.

 _''The Pokémon center is a few blocks straight up. We'll be covering Ligna forest tomorrow and leave at 9 A.M. sharp,''_ she told Nick matter-of-factly.

Jirachi was about to teleport away, but the anxious cry of Nick stopped her. ''W-wait! You're not coming with me? How am I supposed to rent a room then?''

The legendary Pokémon deadpanned. ''You mean to tell me, that you don't have any money on you?''

''Well, kinda,'' Nick retorted while rubbing his head. ''I didn't get to choose what I brought with me on this trip.''

 _''Well, it sucks to be you then. Means you'll have to sleep on the cold floor,''_ Jirachi concluded harshly, harrumphing while turning her head away.

''You can't be fucking serious! You're my guide!'' The human gasped desperately. He felt like he just received a slap in his face.

 _''Exactly,_ _I'm your guide,_ _not your caretaker! Should've thought about it before accepting King's offer, idiot. Your problem, not mine.''_ And with those words, Jirachi teleported away, leaving one broke human behind to take care of himself.

''Well fuck you too, you spoiled brat!'' He screamed after her. Of course, she couldn't hear him anymore, and with a heavy heart, Nick began his search for a place he could stay.

* * *

To say he tried was an understatement, but these people in Argil Town were as greedy for money as they were proud of their pottery. As the night grew longer, so grew the mountain winds colder, making the temperature drop quite spectacularly.

Shivering at how numb he was getting, the human was forced to sleep on a bench in a park. Miserable and starving, this wasn't how Nick had expected his first day would go at all.

Fortunately for him, every cloud has a silver lining, as suddenly, the human's vision was filled with two curious red eyes.

''Luff?''

Startled, the young man shrieked loudly, making the Pokémon in question stifle a giggle. ''Don't scare me like that!'' he warned the Jumpluff playfully, a small smile forming on his lips. Petting the flying and grass type softly, she hummed in contentment.

''Oh my, it seems Cheryl is quite interested in you,'' a new voice spoke up. It was an old lady, concern almost sprouting from her eyes. ''What are you doing here all by yourself, dearie? Are you all right?''

''Not really. I don't have a place to stay, and I haven't eaten anything since yesterday,'' Nick replied honestly.

In an instant, Cheryl was making nervous cries of her name to her trainer, making it quite clear she wanted to help Nick. The old lady only needed to raise her hand to make her silent.

''I know, Cheryl, I was going to offer my place the moment I saw him lying there on a park bench, anyway. Come with me, and I'll make you a meal! Well? What are you waiting for, dearie? My name's Annie, but you can call me Grannie Anne.''

Nick wasn't sure if he should shed tears of joy at her kindness. He was very grateful to this older lady and bowed deeply. ''Thank you. Thank you so much! I don't know how I could ever repay you,'' Nick replied from the bottom of his heart.

Grannie Anne waved it off dismissively. ''None of that, dearie. It's just common sense to help people out who need it. I don't want anything in return. I just hope when the time comes that people are asking you for help, you'll remember this day and give them everything they need.''

''Oh, I will!'' the young man promised, holding Cheryl in his arms. Her skin was soft and her cotton very fluffy, making it feel like he was carrying a big teddy bear. The Pokémon didn't seem to mind, in fact, she was even enjoying it. She gave happy cries of her name as Nick lifted her up and extended his hand for Grannie Anne to shake.

''My name is Nick by the way. Nice to meet you, Grannie Anne!''

* * *

Meanwhile, inside a nearby cave, Jirachi had fallen asleep and entered her dreams, where another Jirachi clad in black with white streamers was waiting for her. Jirachi wasn't surprised to see her mate. He often appeared in her dreams to communicate over long distances, and he always seemed to take the shape of the shame species he was talking to. Only difference was that he was always a black and white variant. ''So, how was your first day, my dear?'' King asked curiously.

''Honestly, what do you think? The guy is a total idiot! His happy-go-lucky attitude is pissing me off severely. Just a few hours ago, he thought he could make me act like I was his Pokémon and fight another trainer!'' the psychic and steel type complained loudly, earning a chuckle from King.

''That does sound like something Nick would do. Anyway, where are you guys right now?''

''Argil town, I told the blockhead we'll be going through Ligna forest tomorrow. So with some luck, we'll reach lake Nebula tomorrow night.''

''Excellent! Just remember why you're doing this, Jirachi dear. I'll give you whatever you want if you bring him to me safely.''

The psychic and steel type nodded, albeit a little reluctantly. She did leave him alone in a mountain town with no money after all. ''First, I want to mate with you. We haven't done that in almost five hundred years,'' the legendary commanded.

''As you wish,'' King replied, bowing deeply before the Wish Maker. ''But, let me make one thing clear for you. If for whatever reason Nick dies because of your carelessness, know that the consequences will be... _gruesome_ for you.''

The sky turned blood red at her mate's words, making Jirachi shiver in fear. King was gone, replaced with two Pokémon she knew as her surrogate parents: a Raichu and a Chikorita.

Their eyes were hollow, devoid of any life. Instantly, they shattered in the wind, turning them into nothing but dust. A demonic voice whispered in her ear: ''You've failed.''

With a yelp, the psychic and steel type woke up from her nightmare. Panting and drenched in sweat, she realized it was a dream, and cried softly.

* * *

 **Day 2.  
**  
Nick had woken up feeling better than he had had in almost two months. Last night, Grannie Anne had pampered him with delicious food and a warm bed. Right now, she was busy making breakfast, while the young man was playing with Cheryl. ''That smells really nice,'' Nick commented in a jolly mood, blowing a raspberry on the Jumpluff who burst into a fit of giggles.

''I may be old, dearie, but I definitely know how to cook,'' she replied with a witty smile, stirring a spoon in a pot of boiling soup.

''You know, I used to visit my grandma all the time. She would always be concerned if mum had given us enough to eat,'' Nick reminisced with a fond smile, petting the grass and flying type idly who had fallen quiet to listen to his story.

''Even when I assured my grandma that I was fine, she still prepared a feast for my lil' sis and I every time we came over.'' Nick chuckled at the fond memories that resurfaced in his mind.

''She must've been a wonderful woman,'' Grannie Anne retorted softly, giving Nick her full attention.

''She was,'' Nick confirmed nostalgically. ''I just wish she didn't have to say goodbye so soon.''

''Oh dearie, I'm so sorry for your loss,'' Grannie Anne apologized empathically, sadness filling her warm brown eyes.

''Don't be. It happened almost eleven years ago. I still have my sister, and I love her dearly.''

Cheryl whimpered, hugging the young man with teary eyes to show her compassion. Nick hugged her back, holding her close to his chest and feeling oddly comforted by this Pokémon and old lady.

''What is your sister's name?''

Nick smiled softly, adjusting his hat a little before answering, ''Kate. She's a couple years younger than me, with a heart of gold. She means the world to me, and I wouldn't know what I would do without her,'' the young man confessed.

''Keep her safe and close to you, dearie. Protect her from the dangers of life, as you know I would,'' Grannie Anne advised sagely. A silence followed, but it wasn't an uncomfortable one. Rather, it was soothing, the boiling of soup and crackling of eggs the only sounds entering the cozy living room.

Then, Grannie Anne spoke up once more, ''I used to have a husband; Perry was his name. He wasn't exactly the handsome type, nor was he very bright. Instead, the reason that I married him was his kindness, his positive view on life, but most importantly, his ability to make me feel like I was the only woman in the world.''

''What happened?'' Nick asked with the utmost respect.

''I don't know, dearie. He left twenty-five years ago, never to return. The last reminder of him was a Pokémon egg he'd given to me for my birthday, just before he left.''

''Cheryl,'' Nick whispered, eyeing the grass and flying type with a weird sense of realization.

''Exactly. I took care for her ever since the day that she hatched. Not long after, I moved here. Various people who had seen Perry that day all told me he'd been going inside Ligna forest. But the forest is big, and I've long given up hope that Perry is still alive. Yet Cheryl refuses to give up, and searches the forest every day for a potential sign, or perhaps a clue as to why my husband left me that day.''

The human looked with admiration at the Pokémon. ''You must love Grannie Anne a lot, huh?''

Cheryl nodded without hesitation. ''Then keep searching for me,'' Nick concluded firmly. He didn't have to tell the Jumpluff twice.

Breakfast was served, and the topic soon shifted to more light-hearted stories. Not long after, the trio were laughing and enjoying each other's company.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jirachi was as nervous as she could be. She'd searched Argil town high and low for Nick, but couldn't find him anywhere. 'Crap, I might've made a terrible mistake,' the legendary Pokémon cursed. The threat that her mate made last night was nothing but serious, and while she liked King, he could be very terrifying at the same time.

'Where in the distortion world are you?' she thought in a panic. Jirachi wasn't familiar with his natural aura at all, since she had refused to bond with Nick for obvious reasons, making her unable to simply sense him.

Just as she was about to give up hope, a lone house a couple of miles out of Argil town caught her attention. Gasping with renewed vigor, she shot towards it like a shooting star, and to her relief, saw the human she was looking for eating breakfast with an old lady and a Jumpluff.

Immediately, spite and disgust filled her being. She wanted to strangle Nick so badly for letting her worry over him, and wasted no time announcing just how angry she was. Slamming open the door with enough psychic force to rip it off its hinges—which surprisingly, it did not—she let her murderous gaze rest on the terrified human.

 _''You idiot!''_ She raged loudly inside his head, making Nick's head throb in pain. _''I've looked all over the place for you, and here you are, happily eating breakfast like nothing's wrong! You nincompoop! We're leaving right now!''  
_  
Grannie Anne wasn't even surprised to see a legendary Pokémon storm into her house, instead, she smiled and offered her a seat. ''Why don't you sit with us and enjoy our company? I made tomato soup,'' she said calmly.

 _''No!''_ The steel and psychic type declared. _''It's almost 9 A.M., so we either go, or we won't go at all,''_ she concluded firmly, leaving no room for argument. The auburn-haired man sighed, her telepathy loud enough to give him a headache, which was probably on purpose anyway.

''I'm sorry for her behaviour, Grannie Anne. This is my guide, who will hopefully lead me to the Pokémon I've told you about. As you can see, she's a little bit in a sour mood. Either way, looks like I've to cut breakfast short. Thank you so much for your hospitality,'' the young man said respectfully.

Jirachi rolled her eyes at Nick, irritated at the fact he remained so calm. ''I understand, dearie. I did make you some sandwiches for inside Ligna forest, though, and a couple bottles of fresh water always does wonders. Please take them with you, and I wish you the best in finding this Pokémon you've been looking for.''

Walking to the kitchen to grab the food in question, Cheryl eyed the legendary Pokémon maliciously, and floated straight up in her face to give her a piece of her mind. ''Listen, you pathetic excuse of a legendary. You may be Nick's guide, but I swear on the life of my owner, if something happens to him and I find out, I'll hunt you down to the depths of the earth,'' the Jumpluff threatened dead seriously, venom practically dripping from her mouth.

''Nick is a good human, so take good care of him,'' she concluded finally. The psychic and steel type gritted her teeth. This Jumpluff had balls; she had to admit. She would never say it out loud, but Cheryl had intimidated her quite a bit even though she would stand no chance at all if it ever came to a battle. But truthfully, Jirachi didn't like battling at all, so in turn, she kept her mouth shut when Nick and Grannie Anne said their goodbyes.

Lastly, the young man turned his attention to the grass and flying type, and gave her a soft smile. ''Goodbye, Cheryl, may we meet another day.'' To Nick's surprise, the Pokémon gracefully floated over, and gave him a tender kiss on the cheek. Her eyes were filled with sadness, but a hug from the human eased her emotions.

Jirachi gagged at the sappy display of affection, almost making an inappropriate comment about it, but biting her tongue at the last moment. 'Just get on with it already,' she thought sourly.

''Know that you're always welcome here, dearie; have a safe journey,'' Grannie Anne said warmly, waving at Nick and Jirachi as they departed the household of two. ''Jump Jumpluff!'' the grass and flying type cried sadly. It had been a long while since she had made a friend, be it human or Pokémon. But her heart ached the most for her lonely owner, who she knew had more trouble with it even than her.

At that moment, inside Jirachi's mind, she was grinning devilishly. That Jumpluff had to learn a lesson, so while nobody was looking and gotten all sentimental over their farewell, she'd searched the home with her psychic abilities for anything useful to take with her, and found that Grannie Anne's savings would do nicely. As a psychic, she'd no trouble stealing and hiding her stolen goods conveniently for when she had need for them.

'Well, how do you like that, stupid Jumpluff?' she thought victoriously, looking back at the small home. Her smile however, quickly turned into a frown when she saw Grannie Anne from behind a window, looking at her disappointingly.

She knew.

Conflicted feelings welled up inside the psychic and steel type. She didn't give a single crap about this old lady, nor her Pokémon for that matter!

Then why did she feel like a guilty thief, pathetically hiding behind a veil of negative emotions?

* * *

''Are we there yet?'' the tired human whined. He was sure there were some nasty looking blisters on his feet, courtesy of Ligna Forest. They'd walked for hours, yet there still was not a single sign of this lake Jirachi had told him about. Moreover, since this forest only had one road—the one leading to Argil town in the opposite direction they needed to go—climbing over fallen logs and wading through mud wasn't exactly easy.

Jirachi obviously didn't have this problem. Her relatively small body, which was able to levitate, made progressing much easier, yet her silence was pretty uncharacteristic. Pictures of Grannie Anne staring at her disappointingly forced its way into her mind over and over again, making her second guess her actions. She felt guilty, and wanted nothing more than to return to Argil town and apologize, but the tiny legendary knew that wasn't an option anymore.

Sighing, she shook her head. _''No, now stop asking me dumb questions. We'll reach lake Nebula in another few hours,''_ she responded sourly, forcing her mind to think about different things than Grannie Anne.

The auburn-haired man groaned. ''Really? Can't we rest for a little bit? My feet are killing me,'' Nick complained, cursing loudly as he tripped over a hidden root, almost falling flat on his face.

 _''What did I just say? Stop asking dumb questions, now keep moving!''_ Jirachi commanded harshly, not waiting for the human or caring about the conditions he had to travel in.

'One day, I'm going to smash your fucking face in,' Nick thought darkly. Refusing to take another single step, his eyes soon rested on something very peculiar. Hidden behind the roots and foliage of a thick walking palm tree, was a wooden structure that oddly resembled a cabin of sorts. Curiously, he called out to his guide.

''I don't know about you, but I'm tired as hell. I'm not going to move any further before I've rested a little bit. Besides, that cabin there looks very promising to stretch my feet in,'' Nick stated adamantly, walking towards the wooden structure.

 _''If you want to be left alone in this rain forest, then by all means, go right ahead,''_ Jirachi replied, her voice not wavering in the slightest.

''Thanks, I will. Then I'll just track back our path and stay at Grannie Anne,'' Nick countered, refusing to give in.

Gritting her teeth in annoyance, the psychic and steel type quickly rebutted. _''Yeah right, like a wild Pokémon isn't going to attack you while you're all alone. Haven't you thought about why we haven't encountered a single Pokémon yet?''_

Nick knew Jirachi had protected him from wild Pokémon so far and that she used that argument as a ploy to make him scared so that he would stay with her, yet that also implied she didn't want to leave him behind. Subconsciously, Nick realized that Jirachi had made a mistake last night by leaving him all alone in Argil town. She was way more protective of him today, and while Nick appreciated that, he knew she didn't do that out of worry for him.

Her personality was less moody than yesterday, though, if Nick didn't count her outburst this morning. She was a bit more talkative and her snarky comments had diminished. Still, that didn't mean she stopped insulting him altogether.

Now though, her tone of voice in her argument seemed a bit off, like she was slightly desperate, and Nick took a swing at it to see if he found a weak spot.

''You seem adamant that I stay with you, otherwise you wouldn't come up with such a counter argument. I guess I will just take my chances in this forest.''

Nick's smug smile could cut diamonds as he flashed it at Jirachi, her face one of defeat and ominous refusal about the fact a human just bested her.

Turned out, he did find a weak spot.

 _''Fine! But only for a while,''_ the psychic and steel type gave in icily. She couldn't let Nick know how much she needed him, otherwise King would not be pleased.

''Thank you!'' the human said gratefully, making his way to the cabin until he found its opening. Pulling at the door, it wouldn't budge at all no matter how much strength he poured into it. Pushing had just as little effect.

Without warning, the legendary blasted the door to splinters with her psychic, startling the human with her amazing power. ''Could you give me a warning the next time you do that?'' Nick snapped at her.

 _''No, because next time, it'll be you instead of the door if you continue to piss me off, so a warning would be a little redundant,''_ the dark voice of the legendary responded.

Snorting, Nick ignored her empty threat, and instead began to look inside at the makeshift home. It was actually pretty big, the roots of the walking palm creating the illusion it was anything but.

Dust littered the place, as did some roughly made furniture from all kinds of wood. The cabin was clearly abandoned, but otherwise still in pretty good shape. ''Who do you think would live here in such a place?'' Nick wondered out loud.

Jirachi shrugged, picking up a very old book out of an otherwise empty cupboard. _''Whoever it was, he or she lived in complete solitude, that's for sure,''_ the legendary said, handing the book over to Nick, who perked one of his eyebrows.

''What's that?''

 _''A book, idiot. Ever heard of one?''_

''No, I mean, what's written inside of it?'' the young man elaborated.

 _''I don't know, why don't you read it for me?''_ Jirachi suggested, exasperated.

''Can't read it yourself? What are you, illiterate?'' Nick teased the legendary.

 _''And what if I am?''_ Jirachi retorted, blushing slightly. Being awake for only seven days each thousand years had major drawbacks, and this was one of them.

''Sorry, didn't mean to hit a sore spot. I could teach you if you'd like?'' The human offered softly but sincerely.

 _''No thank you, if I wanted to read or write I would've asked my mate thousands of years ago,''_ she said flatly. _''Now can you drop this subject and just read the freaking book for me?''  
_  
Nick frowned. This was the first time Jirachi had mentioned that she had a mate. He decided not to pry, because he knew she wouldn't answer him; it'd only make her more irritated.

Opening the book, he began to read the sloppy writing out loud, ''Monday. I finally finished making my new home. It took me a long time to find the ideal spot, but this tree will give me perfect shelter against the rain, as well as make it easier for me collecting it.

''I have made a couple of tubes from bamboo that will lead the water from the roots straight into some wooden barrels. Once a barrel is full, a certain amount of weight is reached, and that will trigger a mechanism that will close off the tubes, making sure I don't get out of bed with wet feet.

''Who said some courses in wood processing wouldn't come in handy? I mean, I'm not exactly the greatest, but I can manage. Some chairs and a table is my next priority, after I'm done with my bed, of course. Life is going to be pretty tough from now on, but it was my only option. I didn't have another choice.''

Nick stayed silent after that.

 _''Well? What happens next?''_ Jirachi asked impatiently.

''Hang on, I can't read most of the writing because it's incomprehensible,'' the human muttered, browsing through the diary. ''Thursday. Things are looking great as far as you can call my situation that way. I've befriended the local bird Pokémon and they accepted me as their neighbour.

''In turn, I offer them my insights and knowledge about this forest, while they warn me about any potential dangerous Pokémon. The occasional rain is good at erasing my smell, and my cabin is expertly hidden, though I'm probably going to make a lock just to be safe. I wouldn't want to make it too easy for these Pokémon.

''Having spent so much time of my childhood in this massive forest, finding berries and other food isn't much of a problem. Even if I need something specific, I know Argil Town is only about half a day away from here. The people there probably don't give a crap about an old hobo buying some stuff; as long as I have money, I'm fine.''

Nick chuckled. ''He got that right.''

Turning another couple of pages, he began reading once more, ''Wednesday. I've finally entered the second stage of my illness, which is the most painful and also the longest. Your body tries to compensate, but ultimately loses little by little. After six months of setting up for this moment, my long road of agony starts now.

''I can only imagine what the fourth and final stage would feel like. It's described as bitter coldness, like you're bathing naked in a tub of ice. Luckily for me, this stage is only a couple hours at most before it's fatal. Stage two can last for more than ten years, while stage three is only a couple of months at most.

''Stage three isn't painful at all. It's like you've been completely healed. The only symptom is extreme fatigue, as if your body has finally surrendered after having fought so bravely. Stage two is accompanied by a constant headache and extreme joint pain. Most people would have given up by now, but I'm not choosing the coward's way out.

''I just hope I made the right decision.''

More browsing followed, the duo being completely quiet as Nick read on further, ''Saturday. The loneliness is getting to me. Since my illness is highly contagious, not even Pokémon are allowed near me. It's good that I bonded so well with these Pokémon, since the Pidgey and Tailow often leave me food.

''I find myself thinking back a lot at the old times when my mom and dad were still alive. I used to mow the neighbour's backyard for a couple of dollars, just so I could spend that money on ice cream on a hot summer day. My Pokémon and ultimately, friend for life, Ember, then a cute fluffy Litleo, always tried to help me out.

''I'm sure half of the time she set the grasses on fire. Actually, thinking back on it now, I recall she _always_ set the grasses on fire. Her thinking was simple, but far from the best solution. She would stick with me through thick and thin, though, even when she had evolved into a beautiful Pyroar and eventually passed away.

''But that's how life goes. Nobody survives the stitches of time. Eventually, we all have a time to go. Even the legendary Pokémon in this world have their days counted. Death is inevitable. We, as humans, try to prolong it as best as we can. But even so, wouldn't living forever be a curse in itself?''

Nick swallowed, his mouth having turned a little dry as he skipped the entries that were too blurred to read. ''Tuesday, stage three has been coming around faster than I've expected. I now realize that I've made a terrible mistake excluding myself from my loved ones, my wife in particular. Leaving her was the hardest decision in my life, but I couldn't bear the thought of her crying face as I slowly began to rot away.

''I left her in good hands, though; as a Pokémon breeder, I knew the perfect friend and partner for her, just as Ember was to me all those years ago, but now I want to atone for my sins. I see now that I hurt her more with my actions than ever before, and want to spend the rest of my dying days in her company. Maybe if I'm lucky, she will forgive me for my foolishness.

''I'm going to set out, back to Petram City even if it kills me. Stage three makes you feel like an old man, even if I'm sixty-seven as I write this. The only fortunate part is that the disease isn't contagious anymore. Making this trip will be difficult, I know, but if I have a last wish, then it would be seeing my wife one more time.''

Nick took a deep breath as he finished reading the last entry. ''Wow,'' he whispered, unable to find the right words to describe what he'd just read.

Jirachi, who'd been silent all the time, finally grunted. _''This human was completely retarded!''_ she stated matter of factly.

''Wh-wha _—_?'' the student stuttered in disbelief.

 _''Isn't it obvious? He's so drowned in self pity that he ignores everybody who loves him, only to get a conscience at the end of his life just because he knows he's about to die? I call that narcissistic at best.''  
_  
''That's not true! It's the complete opposite. He was so worried about hurting his loved ones that he decided he was going to deal with his problems alone. Granted, that was not very bright of him, but he saw the error of his ways in the end. I'd say it's better late than never.''

 _''And that's exactly what a human would do, isn't it? Deal with all of their problems alone, because your kind is_ _ **so**_ _strong, and certainly doesn't need help from anybody else. Typical human behaviour,''_ Jirachi concluded.

The air was so thick you could cut it with a knife, but after a short silence, the auburn-haired man responded, ''You're right,'' Nick agreed softly. The psychic and steel type let out a sputter of surprise, her jaw hanging open slightly at the unexpected reply.

''It's true,'' the young man went on, ''we do have a tendency to be proud; to not show our weakness in front of everybody else. We're ashamed of those flaws, and try to hide them away. But ultimately, that's what makes us human; big and powerful on the outside yet so tiny and fragile on the inside at the same time. The truth is: we can't deal with all of our problems just by our self. Everybody needs support, and in the end, this man realized that all he needed was by his side all along; his wife.''

Nick smiled, and for a second, Jirachi felt weird; it was like this human wasn't so idiotic anymore. His eyes shone with so much sincerity that she had trouble looking away from them. Shaking her head, a frown returned to her face right after. _''All right, break time is over, enough philosophy for today. Let's get going, Nick,''_ she commanded loudly.

While she was floating to the outside of the cabin, she sensed Nick was not following her. Turning around abruptly, she squinted her eyes in confusion at the ear-splitting grin on the human's face. _''What's so funny?''_ she said.

''You just called me Nick,'' he accused her jovially. His grin couldn't be wider when Jirachi realized her error.

 _''I did not!''_ she denied, blushing a deep red as she crossed her arms.

''Did too!''

''Shut up, idiot!'' She pushed him away, but there was no force behind it. Laughing loudly, the human began to follow his blushing guide inside Ligna Forest once more.

* * *

Rain was falling softly to the earth below, creating a soothing melody only nature could provide as it bounced off of the different trees, plants and in particularly, Nick.

''Are you just going to let me get soaked to the bone?'' Nick asked incredulously while clamping his damp body. Jirachi had made a psychic sphere around herself, preventing herself from getting wet as she floated about. Of course, the human had asked his guide to do the same for him, but she had snorted loudly and left it at that.

 _''Just because you've earned a sliver of my respect doesn't mean I like you. So yes, Nick. You should've just asked for a raincoat from that old lady then,_ '' the psychic and steel type replied coldly, though her voice wasn't as resolute as yesterday; she almost sounded guilty, like she wasn't too sure of her decision. Her eyes betrayed it too, but it was like something was holding her back; something that was deeply rooted in her system.

 _''Besides,''_ she added quickly, _''we're almost at Lake Nebula. Pokémon rangers have a couple of fancy cabins there. They probably won't shy away from helping you by giving you some warm clothes and a bed for the night.''_

The student grumbled. She at least didn't call him idiot anymore and looked at him when she spoke, but that was about her only attitude shift. Yet Nick couldn't shake the feeling she didn't mean to treat him this way. He wasn't so sure anymore if she meant to treat him how she did yesterday, either.

''You're probably not coming with me to stay the night, right?'' he asked her.

The legendary Pokémon nodded her head in confirmation. _''I'll be around. Just don't do anything idiotic while I'm not at your side. You tend to be prone for that.''_

''Yeah? Well, you know, that's just like, your opinion man.'' Nick quoted in The Dude's voice.

 _''See? Just like that! Stop talking retarded, it irks me,''_ Jirachi complained icily.

''The Dude abides.''

Shutting up after the legendary's murderous glare, Lake Nebula was finally appearing in sight. Shivering from all the heat his wet clothes extracted, Nick squinted his eyes to get a better look around. A thick fog surrounded the lake, but if one looked really close, a couple of cabins were seen near the edge.

Jirachi pointed at them after spotting them with her superior eyesight, as Nick didn't see them at first glance. _''That's where the rangers are. Since we had such a long day, we'll leave at 11 A.M. tomorrow instead of 9. Use that time to rest, since Petram City is still a couple hours away from here on foot.''  
_  
Sensing she was about to teleport away like last time, he cried out to her, ''Wait!''

Huffing in annoyance, she stopped. _''What now?''_

''I just wanted to say, thanks. You know, for the extra hours of sleep you're giving me here, and good night!''

Jirachi hesitated, but the smallest of smiles formed on her lips nonetheless. He felt like she finally opened up a bit to him, and that felt oddly pleasant. _''You too Nick, good night,''_ she replied in a surprisingly mellow voice, and then teleported away.

Satisfied, Nick approached the cabins in the distance. Maybe this week wasn't going to be so bad, after all.

The rangers, unlike the people in Argil Town, were kind enough to help Nick out. In fact, they were even concerned when they saw a lone human knock on their door, muddy and wet from the trek through the forest he'd just made.

Not long after, the young man found himself in a nice hot bath, where he could relax and let his mind drift away.

* * *

Not far from Nick's location, Jirachi had found herself a place to stay the night. Quickly falling into a deep slumber, King was already waiting for her.

''Good night, dear, how's everything going?'' Her mate greeted her kindly.

''Okay I guess. We've arrived at Lake Nebula just as planned. With some luck, Nick and I will be meeting you in two days.''

''Perfect! I hope Nick is not too much trouble for you. You seemed pretty upset the other day.''

Jirachi shrugged. ''I was. But I've changed my mind about this human. Just a little, though. He at least isn't your average greedy and ignorant human who wishes for all the money in the world. Actually, he hasn't tried wishing for anything yet.''

Jirachi felt grateful for that, actually. For some reason, Nick didn't see her as a legendary Pokémon—a tool to make him more powerful—but rather as a companion, maybe even a friend.

''Does that surprise you, dear? I'm pretty sure his wish is already coming true as we speak. Never mind the fact you probably told him you won't grant him any wish.''

''True, but still. That has never stopped anyone from trying. Nick is different in that regard, and that's a quality I like about him,'' the psychic and steel type confessed.

She didn't want to admit it, but she actually started to like Nick a bit, something which felt completely alien to her.

King chuckled. ''Don't get too attached to him, dear,'' he joked, ''That could be problematic for you.''

The legendary Pokémon snorted. ''He still irritates me a great deal, but he's starting to get bearable to be around at least. Just don't be surprised when I totally fall in love with him and dump you.''

She winked, and King laughed in a deep rumble. ''You? Loving a human? You've hated them ever since we became mates and that's, what? Like twenty-seven thousand years ago?''

''Something like that. I don't really want to talk about it. Brings back bad memories,'' she admitted.

Yet, as she was talking to King, Jirachi felt conflicted deep inside. She didn't know why she cracked that joke about falling in love with Nick just now, because when she thought about it, it was nothing to laugh at. Nick really did attract her in some sense. But hadn't she felt disgusted when she met Nick two days ago?

'I did, but it wasn't because of Nick, it was because of the fact he was human.'

This realization made Jirachi sigh, unsure about the emotions that were spreading through her body like a wildfire.

Thinking her sigh was because of what happened so long ago, King soothed her. ''I know you don't want to talk about it, dear. That's why I've been taking care of you ever since, and I will continue to do so. As long as you bring Nick to me, everything is going to be fine.''

Jirachi smiled; she willed herself not to think about her conflicted feelings anymore and unlike last night, she slept like a log.

* * *

 **Day 3.**

''Ugh, I don't feel so good.'' Nick moaned to Dennis, a local ranger with who he'd shared a room with. The young man was lying in bed, sweating profusely and his face was as red as a tomato.

''No kidding, you've spiked a pretty high fever after walking around all day in wet clothes. What were you doing all alone in the forest anyway?''

''I told you, I wasn't all alone. My guide was with me. But she is pretty shy and doesn't like to hang around new people that much.''

Dennis chuckled good-naturedly. ''Sounds like a pretty terrible guide to me,'' he joked.

''She's definitely something. But I get the feeling she's finally starting to warm up to me.'' Nick gave Dennis a grin. ''You wouldn't believe her attitude when I'd just met her.''

The ranger grinned back. ''That bad?''

''Like a woman on her first bloody period!''

Dennis laughed out loud at the response while shaking his head from side to side. ''Then why choose her? I mean, if she got such a grudge against you, surely there are other guides.''

Nick hummed. ''She's special in a sense that she knows the location of a certain Pokémon I would love to see. I didn't have much choice. Besides, like I said, she's coming around, slowly but surely.'' Nick coughed. ''My throat hurts. Do you have something that can alleviate it a little?''

''We do have some cough drops downstairs. I'll go grab them for you. In the meantime, you make sure to stay in bed.''

After Dennis left, the room got silent, but not before long, as a certain psychic and steel type teleported herself inside with an audible pop. _''Finally, I thought he would never leave,''_ Jirachi said, slightly irritated _. ''And why are you still in bed, Nick?''_ she questioned him sharply. _''It's almost 11 A.M. already! It's time to go, lazy-ass.''  
_  
Nick slowly turned around in bed to face her, and gave her a weak smile. Instantly, Jirachi's features turned from stern to apologetic. _''Oh,''_ she muttered at the sight of the sick human.

''Yeah, as you can see, I'm a little sick,'' he stated matter-of-factly.

Jirachi didn't have to think long about what had happened; she quickly put two and two together why Nick had turned ill so suddenly, and she felt pity for him; it was her fault, after all. Shuffling awkwardly, the legendary Pokémon muttered something under her breath.

''What was that?'' Nick asked hoarsely.

 _''I said sorry,''_ she repeated apologetically, her eyes soft and riddled with guilt. _''I shouldn't have let you get soaked yesterday,''_ she spoke so softly that Nick could barely hear her.

Perking a brow, he said, ''Does that mean I have to travel while I'm rocking a fever?''

 _''No. It means that I'm sorry and that we have to wait it out. Hopefully, you'll feel better tomorrow,''_ she responded genuinely. She was unable to look Nick straight into the eyes anymore; she felt really bad for him.

The human could barely believe what he'd heard. Did Jirachi just apologize to him? Like, sincerely?

''I-I'm a little surprised,'' Nick confessed stupidly.

 _''Well, don't get used to it, but you look terrible and it's kinda my fault. Just get some more rest. I'll be back and checking on you tonight, okay?''_

''Okay.'' Nick agreed. ''Thank you, Jirachi.''

She smiled sweetly, something that made her look very adorable. Nick wouldn't mind if she did that more often instead of the usual sour look she sported.

 _''You're welcome, Nick.''_

Teleporting away, Nick felt oddly grateful towards his guide for her decision. Soon after, Dennis returned with the medicine and handed it over to the young man.

''Did anything spectacular happen while I was away?'' he joked.

''Meh, only a wild Jirachi teleporting in, wishing me a speedy recovery and then teleporting out again.''

Dennis burst out in laughter. ''Yeah, right. If I ever see a wild Jirachi around these parts I'll eat my own hat.''

''Might want some salt with that then.''

Laughing louder, he patted Nick on the back. ''At least the fever didn't steal your sense of humor! Anyway, the other guys and I are out on patrol. If you need anything just call us; the number is in the night cabinet on your left.''

Waving goodbye to the ranger, Nick picked something to read to ease the boredom away, and soon closed his eyes to catch some more sleep.

* * *

At the middle of the lake hidden inside a thick fog, on a small speedboat, two crooks were going over their latest plan. ''Are you sure this is going to work, Harry?''

''Of course, Marv! All the rangers are away on duty patrol. I checked it over the course of a month. They won't be back until tonight, which gives us all the time in the world to steal any valuables and Pokémon they have stored inside those cabins.''

Harry flashed a massive grin at his partner in crime, who gave a crooked one in return. ''Yeah, who's dumb enough to rob from rangers? Well, I know two dudes.'' He pointed at himself, then at Harry, who began to chuckle maniacally.

''This is going to be a walk in the park.''

''Like stealing candy from a kid.''

The duo laughed, and quickly took off in the direction of the ranger's cabins. Arriving at the edge of the lake, they turned off the motor of their speedboat, and docked their means of escape smoothly, like well-practiced captains. In no time, Harry Lime and Marvin Merchants were at the locked door of the first cabin, and they went to work.

''Crowbars ready.''

Clunking them together, they broke the first door open with relative ease. Strolling inside like they owned the place, Harry ravaged the living room, while Marv checked out the kitchen.

Harry whistled, impressed with what he saw. ''Lots of good stuff in here. Exclusive ranger clothes will sell nicely,'' he spoke out loud.

Meanwhile, Marv was chuckling in the kitchen, a white mist spreading slowly through the cabin. Harry perked a brow and resisted the urge to sigh at his partner in crime. He wasn't exactly the brightest bulb. ''Marv, what are you doing now?''

''Isn't it obvious?'' he replied with a wide smile when his partner looked at him in confusion. At the stove, he was mixing a chemical concoction that smoked the place up.

''All the great thieves leave their mark and this is ours,'' he said, pausing for dramatic effect.

''We're the foggy bandits!''

Harry rolled his eyes. ''Yeah, real funny Marv. Now let's hurry up, we've got more cabins to burgle.''

* * *

''I'm so bored!'' Nick complained out loud. There was nothing to do but read, and the young man loathed reading. He'd much rather be active and do things instead of training his eye muscles.

Sighing deeply, his attention soon fell upon a bundle of yellow fur that was desperately trying to hide itself in a corner. Four blue fearful eyes stared back at Nick, and now that it was discovered, the little bug Pokémon began to shiver, very much afraid.

''Aww, aren't you the cutest little Joltik?'' the human cooed, moving out of bed to get a better look at the spider. ''Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you,'' the sick human reassured, softly petting the head of the terrified Pokémon with one finger. Joltik were small.

Picking him up, the Pokémon in question easily fit in the palm of Nick's hand. ''You must be hungry, little guy. Here.''

Nick knew from past experience that these Pokémon fed off of electricity. He placed him against a socket above the night cabinet. The Joltik instantly relaxed, happily racking up the ranger's electric bill.

Sparks flew from the Pokémon, and once he was full, he chirped in the cutest way possible, his front legs going over his face in a thank you gesture.

''I'm happy you enjoyed it, Joltik. I'm Nick by the way.'' He held out his pinkie finger which the Joltik shook. Chuckling over the fact that even the spiders here were sentient, he quickly dove under the covers again to get warm.

''Seems I'm not going to spend all my time alone here,'' Nick concluded happily.

The Pokémon seemed happy too, and gave off the slightest of sparks as he crawled over Nick's shoulder and rested in his neck.

''You know, my little sister would probably scream her lungs out when a spider your size would be sitting in her neck. Scratch that, she would probably scream her lungs out when she sees a spider your size sitting in _my_ neck.''

The bug Pokémon chirped in satisfaction, proud he could at least scare some humans away. Laughing at the happy response, Nick got an idea and said: ''Keep sitting like that.''

Grabbing his Blackberry, which luckily still had around eighty percent battery left, he selected his camera and pointed it at himself and the Joltik.

''Now gimme your most menacing pose while I look afraid. My sister is probably going to faint if I show her this picture,'' he stated devilishly.

The Pokémon was quick to comply, showing off his fangs while sparks flew from his body in a show of intimidation. At the same time, Nick bulged out his eyes and opened his mouth halfway, like he was going to give a horrifying scream.

The result was hilarious.

Laughing with the Pokémon, he made a very cute picture too. He made the Joltik use his best puppy eyes while he whimpered at the human. Nick only needed to add a pink bow, a little blush and a speech bubble saying: ''Please notice me senpai,'' and he would be all done.

Unfortunately, the coziness was broken way too soon when a loud crack at the front door startled the duo, like somebody had broken it and was forcing his way in. The Joltik instantly fled, and Nick was cautious too when he heard two unfamiliar voices talking from downstairs.

''Well, this is what we've been waiting for, Marv. The _sweet_ cherry on top,'' Harry sang, stretching the word sweet while he spread his arms to emphasize the much larger cabin of the four, which meant a lot of more valuable stuff as well.

''Merry Christmas, Marv,'' he muttered to himself, grinning like a maniac at the thought of all the items this place possibly held. The duo wasted no time stuffing their jute bags full of expensive items, not leaving a single speck of dust on the same spot as they meticulously stripped the place clean.

''This cabin even got a second floor,'' Marv said, impressed and marveling at the sheer size of the place. He couldn't believe how well this was going.

''I know, that's where all the Pokémon are kept,'' Harry responded with a big, crooked grin.

Looking at each other silently for a moment, they rushed upstairs, grinning like two kids on a playing ground. The bedrooms didn't hold anything particularly shiny, but the back room, which stored a safe, looked very promising indeed.

''Let's open this little fella and then get out of here,'' Harry suggested smoothly.

But before the foggy bandits could enact their master plan, a deep voice rumbled through the room, ''Stop right there criminal scum,'' the voice thundered. ''Nobody steals from this cabin under my watch! Now do as I say and there won't be any trouble.''

Scared to death at the initial boom of the voice, the crooks gave a startled yelp, only to notice there was nobody in sight. ''Who are you?'' Harry asked unsurely.

''I am the one who defends this place. Master of booby traps, troublemaker of the family, I am... Kevin McCallister.''

Harry and Marv both gave a strange look. That name did ring a bell, but they couldn't recall where they'd heard it before. Nonetheless, it sent a shiver down their spines as Marv suddenly got an epiphany about bricks and how evil they were while Harry didn't want to touch a single doorknob ever again.

''Harry, let's just get out of here,'' Marv whispered, getting frightened. The voice sounded like a human possessed by a ghost Pokémon.

Shaking his head in refusal, Harry began to follow to sound of the voice instead, which was still saying the most ridiculous stuff.

''Do not mess with me, do not try to find me, it's all futile, you will—'' The closet door Nick was hiding in was opened abruptly, and he smiled sheepishly at an angry looking Harry who didn't look like the villain from Home Alone at all. 'They sure sound like them though,' he thought and sucker punched the crook straight in the face before fleeing.

Harry, surprised by the attack, yelped as pain shot through his system, and he needed a moment to comprehend what just had happened, before shouting to his accomplice. ''We've got company, Marv! Down the corridor,'' he screamed, clutching his swollen nose which was bleeding slightly.

''Hey you!'' Marv hollered, running after Nick and dolphin-diving straight at him, catching one of his ankles as he landed on the ground with a thud. ''I got him, Harry!'' he shouted victoriously, only for Nick's foot to meet his face several times.

Blood spurted out from the crook's nose, who screamed in pain and confusion as he let go of Nick out of reflex.

''Now, Joltik!'' the young man exclaimed. Jumping from his shoulder, the spider landed perfectly on Marv's face, who did his infamous scream at the bug crawling on top of him.

Nick laughed jovially about the fact he could enact one of his favourite childhood scenes. That quickly died down when a loud bang was heard. ''Enough of this shit!'' Harry stated murderously, his gun in his hand and the smoking barrel pointed at the auburn-haired man.

''Get in the fucking room, right now!'' Harry beckoned with his head to the room Nick had hid himself in. His eyes flashed with anger, so much so that if looks could kill, Nick was sure he would've dropped dead right then and there.

The anxious human complied without a word, his already sweaty face only producing more liquids as Harry roughly pulled him inside. Marv followed, angry beyond reason for the stunt this pathetic human had just pulled on him.

''Now listen, you piece of garbage. Usually, we don't kill people, but if you think you can humiliate us and get away with it, you've got it _very_ wrong,'' Harry spoke icily, poking him with the barrel of his gun.

Nick shivered. He tried to control his nerves, but when a man was pointing a gun at you at point blank range, that was not very easy to do. Fearing for his life, the human ushered an apology.

''I'm sorry. I didn't try to make fun of you guys, honest.''

The auburn-haired man knew he had to stall. He'd called the police the moment he'd heard their voices, so it couldn't be much longer before they arrived.

And he was right.

Sirens were heard in the distance, and the crooks cursed loudly. ''This is your doing, isn't it?''

Giving a smug smile, he said: ''It's over for you guys. If you shoot me now you won't have any leverage.'' Nick felt an odd sense of victory over these thugs, even though he shouldn't be happy and celebrating at all.

Realizing Nick was speaking the truth, Harry rammed him in the gut with his weapon. Writhing in pain, the student clamped his already upset stomach and went on his knees, moaning and shivering.

''You're a lucky guy, Kevin, unfortunately for you, you're our hostage now. Now get up!''

Multiple Officer Jenny's had the cabin surrounded, when one spoke up with a loudspeaker. ''This is the police, we've the building surrounded. Come outside with your hands up or we have to resort to violence!''

Mightyena and Arcanine growled fiercely, showing that the officer's threat was not an empty one. However, Marv showed Nick while Harry pointed his gun at him from a window.

''They have a hostage, I repeat, they have a hostage. Do not engage!''

Backing off slightly, the crooks disappeared further into the cabin, waiting for negotiations. They bound Nick to a chair with some rope they found while venom practically dripped from their lips.

''Too bad for you we only need you alive, Kevin.''

Marv grinned before punching Nick straight in the face. ''That's for the Joltik, you asshole.''

Nick's nose was clogged up with blood instantly; his cry muffled as another punch landed on his face and almost knocked him out of his chair wasn't it for the fact he was bound. He was sure he heard his nose crack this time. Blood started to rush out like a tiny river, his mind panicking and pumping adrenaline through his system.

''Think you're tough, huh?'' Harry mocked him, delivering another one straight in his stomach. Nick could taste and smell the coppery substance of the iron in his blood, his gut screaming in protest.

''Think you can make us afraid with a fake voice!?''

Nick hissed in pain as another fist found his abdomen, followed by an elbow straight to his right eye. That was surely going to be black. Tears escaped his irritated eye, the socket around it filling up with fluids like a water balloon.

Warm blood dripped from his nose to his lips as Marv held his face upright and another fist connected with it, Nick's consciousness fading little by little.

''You know, I think we have to permanently scar this motherfucker. Just so he will always remember us,'' Harry spoke with a maniacal smile. To Nick, Harry's voice sounded deep, faraway and in slow-motion, but his mind had understood every word he had said and the implications of them.

Producing a knife from his pocket, the crook slowly swung it in front of Nick's face; fear overriding all his other senses. Nick's heartbeat sped up, it was going like a bullet train in his chest. His lungs screamed for oxygen as if he was running a marathon, and his breathing turned erratic with fright.

''I think I'm going to poke your eyes out. So the last thing you will ever see are our faces as my knife goes through it,'' Harry spoke darkly, enjoying how scared Nick was.

Marv giggled crazily. ''Do it Harry, make him bleed!''

The blade inched closer to Nick's eyes, his pupils dilating to pinpricks and his chest heaving crazily. 'Oh God, please help me,' Nick thought anxiously.

 _''Well, sorry to disappoint you then,''_ a very feminine and pissed off voice replied telepathically. In an instant, Jirachi had teleported herself at his side, her face turned into an ominous snarl and her stance dangerously threatening.

''Where did a Jirachi come from?'' Harry exclaimed while Marv just looked on stupidly; they were more surprised with her sudden presence than the fact she was a legendary Pokémon.

The psychic and steel type was more than furious; she had decided to check up on Nick early and maybe keep him company for a little while. She didn't know why, because she was sure she would rather be alone, but the thought had made her happy. Being a bit more familiar with his aura now, she'd sensed his panic and pain from a mile away, and wasted no time rushing to his aid. Needless to say, seeing two _humans_ trying to hurt Nick with a knife made her angry beyond reason.

 _''_ _Don't_ _ever try to harm Nick again!''_ She roared at the top of her lungs to the surprised bandits who were unfortunate enough to face her wrath. Jirachi was fuming; the psychic energy she was building up appeared in an ethereal cyan hue in front of her body and rippled with power. The walls shook and the legendary glowed like a star. Her attack was devastating enough to blast the entire upper level of the cabin to smithereens, knocking both humans out cold. They were lucky she was holding back majorly, afraid she accidentally would hurt Nick, otherwise they wouldn't have lived to tell the tale.

She panted, her rage large enough that she wanted to blow up the entire cabin and the lake combined, before she faced the beat up human with a scowl.

At that moment, while the cyan hue of her incredible power was still dissipating from her body, while she was using her psychic to burn away the ropes that had him bound, Nick thought she looked absolutely stunning and amazing. He'd never seen such a display of raw strength, and Jirachi had demonstrated it as if it was nothing. He felt his heart skip a beat as he looked into her eyes, which were filled with fury, relief, but above all passion. Nick felt his cheeks warm up.

''Jirachi, thank you—'' he was about to say, but was cut off as she slapped him with the palm of her hand across the face.

 _''You idiot!''_ she yelled, before surprising the stunned human with a very gentle hug.

She felt warm and soothing, and soon, Nick hugged her back, putting his arms around her petite body and embracing her.

 _''Why didn't you call for my help? I could've been here sooner and prevented all of this,''_ Jirachi said, feeling pity for Nick while pushing herself up on his chest to look at his face. _''You look horrible,''_ she added softly.

Nick chuckled dryly, his right eye closed entirely while blood tickled his chin, falling in thick droplets on his shirt. ''You never told me I could contact you with my mind, I didn't know,'' the human confessed.

Jirachi turned away in shame. _''I'm so sorry, Nick. I should've told you. Here, let me help you.''  
_  
The legendary began to glow as she closed her eyes, first very lightly, then brighter as it enveloped the young man's entire body. It felt very pleasant, and before long, most of his injuries were healed. Only his black eye and fever remained.

 _''There, I'm afraid that your black eye has to heal on its own. Luckily, it will now do so a lot faster thanks to my Wish,''_ Jirachi said happily. Nick looked a lot better already, and she was glad she was there to prevent him from losing his eyes. Her Wish couldn't heal something so severe like that.

Nick was stunned. She was so genuine and compassionate with him, he had trouble believing this was the same Jirachi that had refused to call him Nick just yesterday morning.

''I-I really don't know how to express my thanks, Jirachi, honestly. But... But why are you being so nice to me?''

He couldn't help but ask, and when the legendary pondered the question, she was surprised herself. Why indeed had she helped Nick just now? Her mate didn't care about the condition he arrived in, as long as he was alive. So why did she heal most of his injuries then, and most importantly, why did she feel so relieved when Nick was okay that she even hugged him?

She hadn't hugged a human in forever, but Nick—Nick was different somehow. A little bit weird, but his kindness shined, even when she was nothing but a complete nuisance to him. Jirachi just couldn't bear the thought of him losing his eyes and she kinda snapped.

It was all on instinct and pure emotion: the attack, the hug, and the concern. Thinking clearly now, she didn't feel awkward, nor did she regret her actions. In fact, she secretly wanted to hug Nick again, and blushed shyly at the thought.

It was then—with sudden clarity—that she realized she cared for Nick. It was so obvious that she felt stupid not realizing it sooner, like all the little puzzle pieces were finally put in their place. It made sense now, as before, the puzzle was just a big mess, but not anymore. Now, Jirachi felt a warmth she hadn't felt in a long time spread through her body. It was a warmth that made her feel fuzzy inside, especially when she realized Nick was the one species she loathed so much. He was still a human, after all, and yet, despite this, she was falling for him.

Heat rushed to her cheeks as Nick looked at her with those warm brown eyes of his; he was still waiting on her answer. _''Let me just get something for your eye,''_ she squeaked instead, teleporting away and coming back not much later with a cold ice pack. _''Now sit still,''_ she murmured, very lightly pressing the pack to his injured eye.

The young man closed it, the gentle hand of Jirachi held his chin while her other hand was busy applying pressure, making sure not to hurt the human in any way. At that moment, Nick felt completely at peace. All the background noise of policemen bursting in was ignored; only this cute legendary in front of him mattered.

Wait, did he just think that Jirachi was cute?

Yes, yes he did, because it was a fact in Nick's mind; her actions right now were the very reason why this was true. That's why he couldn't help himself but say it out loud.

''You're cute.''

Jirachi's breath hitched and her blush returned tenfold. She wanted to yell at him, call him an idiot, but found that she couldn't.

Why couldn't she do it?

The answer was simple, she knew.

Because she felt flattered, happy and oddly okay with Nick calling her cute.

 _''I was completely wrong about you,''_ Jirachi whispered lovingly. _''You're the nicest person I've met in a long while, Nick.''  
_  
They stayed silent after that. No more words needed to be spoken. Nick felt the mutual connection they'd made at that moment, and his heart soared. He saw it in Jirachi's eyes too.

So imagine the utter surprise of the police officers and the local rangers when they saw the foggy bandits knocked out unconscious, the entirety of the second floor of the cabin completely destroyed and a Jirachi, tenderly treating Nick's black eye with all the love and care in the world.

Nick could only give Dennis a shit-eating grin. ''I'll pay for the salt, buddy.''

* * *

''Well, you're later than usual dear,'' King noted with a small smile.

''That's because I stayed up late and played board games with Nick all night,'' Jirachi replied honestly.

''Is that so? Why would you play games with Nick, if I may ask?'' King asked with a hint of curiosity.

''Nick spiked a pretty high fever. He was bored and challenged me to a game. Naturally, I couldn't refuse,'' she said simply. Of course she wasn't going to mention that she absolutely had a blast playing these games against Nick, and kinda fell asleep next to him. She hadn't felt this happy and loved in a long while.

''I see. Where are you guys now?''

''Still back at Lake Nebula.''

This time, the smile from King's face melted. ''Why?'' he asked sternly.

''Because of Nick's fever,'' she responded, as if it was obvious.

''That's no excuse!'' her mate boomed. ''You could've easily taken him to Petram City at least!''

''No, I couldn't,'' Jirachi rebutted, trying to hold a voice of indifference. ''He was in no condition to travel and if I took him with my psychic, that would've only made things worse. We would probably have an even bigger setback than we have now. I had no other option.''

King went silent for a while, before he muttered his reply. ''All right, fair enough. But I do expect you to be in Petram City tomorrow.''

''That's not a problem,'' Jirachi promised.

''Excellent. That means we'll be seeing each other in two days, dear. Until then.''

King left, but Jirachi was a lot less excited to see her mate again than she was two days ago. Only Nick filled her mind, along with spurts of happiness. She was really falling for him, and it made her giddy just thinking about it.

Then it dawned on her. How could she have been so harsh to him? Happiness was replaced with guilt, and then with determination to make sure Nick enjoyed his remaining days with her to the best of her abilities.

* * *

 **Day 4.**

Nick stirred softly, waking up at the smell of freshly baked eggs and bacon. He felt a lot better than he did yesterday, courtesy of Jirachi. Stomach grumbling, he slowly opened his eyes, only to meet the face of a certain legendary Pokémon.

 _''Good morning, Nick,''_ she chirped happily, _''How do you feel?''_

Jirachi was practically beaming, an infectious gesture the human couldn't ignore. Smiling back, he replied, ''A lot better, thanks to you.''

The psychic and steel type's cheeks lit up, which was absolutely adorable in Nick's opinion. _''It was no problem, really,''_ she muttered in embarrassment. _''Anyway! I brought you some breakfast.''  
_  
Shyly, she levitated the plate of food over to him, which contained eggs, bacon, toast and freshly squeezed orange juice. ''So that's what I was smelling,'' Nick said, taking in the heavenly aromas of the plate.

Jirachi nodded. _''I made it myself, I hope you like it,''_ she added, blushing as Nick gave her a bright smile.

''I'm sure it tastes wonderful. Thank you so much!''

The human wasted no time devouring his meal, enjoying the different flavors that entered his mouth. ''It's delicious,'' he moaned with a mouth full of egg.

The small legendary giggled, _''Seems at least your appetite is back! Anyhow, I'll be waiting downstairs for you. When you're ready, I'll treat your eye again before we head off to Petram City.''  
_  
''Sounds like a plan,'' the human agreed, nodding his head.

Hesitating for a little bit, the legendary flew in, and gave him a quick hug before immediately teleporting away.

'Definitely cute,' Nick thought with a grin.

* * *

Once he was done eating his breakfast and taking a shower, he headed downstairs, where a couple of rangers, including Dennis, were waiting.

''Morning, Trouble Magnet,'' he joked, offering the young man a chair.

''Good Morning,'' Nick greeted back, ''How'd the hat taste?'' he teased in return.

Dennis gave a playful grumble. ''You never told us your guide was a Jirachi. That's cheating!'' He countered, pointing to the legendary Pokémon who already was waiting with a bowl of hot water and a sponge.

Floating over, she gently began to dab Nick's eye with it, careful to make sure she didn't apply too much pressure.

''True, but I wasn't lying the other day when I said a Jirachi visited me.''

Chuckling at Nick, Dennis' attention was then entirely focused on the legendary Pokémon. ''She does seem to care for you though. After blasting most of the second floor into the distortion world and saving your ass last night, she still woke up early to make breakfast for you. Shouldn't it be the other way around?''

 _''No,''_ Jirachi immediately replied. _''I was nothing but a pain in the ass for Nick these last three days because of a prejudice I had about him. He probably told you yesterday how badly I treated him, right? Well, I intend to change that.''  
_  
''Have I told you guys already how cute Jirachi is?'' Nick teased, making the psychic and steel type blush in embarrassment.

The rangers snickered, only adding to the Pokémon's shame, but she ignored it in favour of the human in front of her. She couldn't care less about what these other humans thought; only Nick mattered. So, he could call her cute whenever he wanted. Besides, it made the legendary happy inside.

 _''You're walking on mighty thin ice here, Nick. Don't embarrass a girl who has the strength to pop open your head like an overripe watermelon,''_ she growled playfully.

''I shall take note of it, Miss. Next time, I'll call you cute in public instead,'' he replied smugly, making Jirachi gasp.

 _''You wouldn't dare.''  
_  
''Oh yeah? Watch me when we're in Petram City.''

Dennis rolled his eyes at the squabbling duo. If he didn't know any better, he would think that they were flirting with each other.

Clearing his throat, he intervened smoothly, ''Sorry to interrupt you Pidoves, but the car that will bring you two to the city is ready and waiting, so let's go.''

Not long later, Jirachi and Nick were heading towards Petram City, the legendary insisting that the young man was going to love it.

* * *

The city, unlike Argil Town, was bursting with activity. Having lived all of his life in New York, Nick felt right at home. The busy streets, skyscrapers, and sound of traffic were music to his ears. ''You were right, Jirachi. I'm enjoying Petram City already!'' he said from the backseat of the car.

 _''Then wait until you see its Pokémon Center!''_ the legendary exclaimed with excitement. _''I'll book us the best room there is, my treat.''  
_  
''Awesome! Afterwards, we can explore the city a little. I'm sure there's something nice to do around here,'' Nick said with child-like enthusiasm.

''Oh absolutely,'' Dennis agreed, ''This place never sleeps.''

Making a sharp turn to the right, the ranger hummed in tune with the music on the radio, steadily bringing his guests to their destination. ''We're almost there.''

Sure enough, the Pokémon Center came into view, but it wasn't what Nick had expected at all. Eyes bulging out, he watched slack-jawed at the massive high-rise. ''That entire building is the Center?'' he asked with disbelief.

Grinning, Jirachi nodded her head enthusiastically. _''It is,''_ she confirmed, _''Since this city is so big, a lot of Pokémon trainers are present at all times. It's only natural to have Pokémon Centers this size, though this is the biggest by far.''  
_  
''Yup, it's the only logical solution,'' Dennis piped in, ''Now hang on while I find a place to park the car.''

Once the duo had stepped out of the Jeep, the ranger made his goodbyes. ''Nick, I wish you the best of luck with your journey. Sadly, I can't stay. I have to go back to Lake Nebula as soon as possible,'' he informed.

''I understand. Thanks for everything, Dennis.''

The two men shook hands, and once Dennis had made the engines of his car roar back to life again, he drove off, leaving Jirachi and Nick alone in the heart of Petram City.

''Let's go to the Center to check in,'' the young man suggested. The legendary nodded her head, keeping very close to him for some reason as they approached the massive building.

Nick soon learned why.

People everywhere gave the duo looks of awe. Whispers of surprise were heard, and shocked faces turned into curious ones when they realized a real legendary Pokémon was among them.

Jirachi didn't like the attention one bit. She hated humans for a good reason, and as a result, tried to hide herself behind Nick's shoulder as best as she could.

He thought it was absolutely adorable.

Luckily, the Nurse Joy behind the counter stayed professional, and once they had checked in, the duo disappeared into the privacy of their room.

They were twenty stories up. The view, coupled with the room was amazing. The beds were soft, and the bathroom had a shower plus a bubble bath.

''I know what I will be doing tomorrow morning,'' Nick said out loud. Jirachi watched him explore the rest of the room silently, floating behind him with happiness surging through her veins at the pleased human.

Once done, he sat down on the bed, and looked the legendary straight in the eyes. ''Hey,'' he said in a soft voice, ''Are you okay? Back there you got a lot of unwanted attention.''

The psychic and steel type shrugged unconvincingly. _''It happens when you're a rare Pokémon. I'm not really used to it, because I try to avoid humans most of the time,''_ she confessed.

''You really don't like our kind, do you?''

She shook her head.

''You want to talk about it?'' he offered gently.

Jirachi sighed, looking away in sadness. _''I don't want to bore you with my sob story. I know a lot of people have it way worse than I have, so I shouldn't complain.''_

Silence followed, until the human spoke up once more.

''Have I ever told you why I accepted King's offer?''

The legendary said nothing, ushering for him to go on. He hadn't, so she was pretty curious.

A big grin formed on Nick's lips, ''Pure selfishness.''

Jirachi wasn't sure how to react. Nick being selfish? That didn't sound like him at all.

The human explained, ''You know, back in my world where I come from, my life is a big disaster. My father is terminally ill, and as a result, my mother started to drink her sorrow away. She's had troubles with alcohol in the past, but it was exactly my father who had helped her get it under control.

''Now, knowing he's going to pass away, her alcohol addiction has gone so far that she started to get violent to my little sister; screaming at her, calling her names, throwing things at her. My mum is currently in forced rehabilitation after getting arrested, but that's not going too well either.''

With bated breath, Jirachi listened to Nick's story.

''I've been taking care of Kate, my little sister, ever since. But I'm still a college student, so I had to take a shitty job in a factory just to make enough money to hold my apartment.

''She's sixteen now, and close to graduating high school. But how am I going to pay for her college after that? I don't have the money for it.''

Nick chuckled at the crude joke that was called his life. ''It was doable at first, but lately I've been having terrible nightmares, robbing me of my sleep. It's funny actually, ever since I arrived here, I haven't had a single nightmare,'' the human realized.

''Anyway, the day before I arrived here, I had an argument with Kate. I felt miserable after that; the stress was too much for me. Why couldn't things go smoothly for once?

''That's when King came to me. First, I thought he was a joke, but not much later, I just _knew_ he was speaking the truth, despite how odd his proposal was.''

The human fidgeted with his fingers. ''I accepted his offer to escape from my troubles. I wanted to feel happy again, since I haven't been truly happy for a long while.''

Nick gave the legendary a bittersweet smile, her face nothing but sympathy for the auburn-haired man. 'And I was such a jerk towards him too,' she thought, disgusted at herself.

Biting her lip, she decided that Nick had every right to know why she disliked humans now, and she planned to tell him everything. ''I _-I never knew my real parents,''_ the psychic and steel type revealed, surprising the human.

 _''When a Jirachi is born, it's important to teach it how to be mature as quickly as possible,''_ she explained.

 _''That's why the first year of my life, I didn't sleep at all. I simply couldn't. After that, as you may know, I'm only awake seven days each thousand years.  
_  
 _''In that time, I was raised by my surrogate parents, whom I love dearly; a Raichu and a Chikorita. Since they can't produce offspring themselves, they were very happy to have me. Now you might wonder why a Raichu and a Chikorita would stay together if they can't have children.''  
_  
Nick nodded.

Jirachi stifled a giggle _, ''Well, my mom was kinda desperate to find herself a mate, so when spring arrived, she jumped at the opportunity when she found a lonely Raichu. They were the same in that sense, and bonded so well that they never left each other after that day.''_

Her eyes sparkled at the fond memory. _''In any case, they found my egg about a couple years later, abandoned and forgotten. They didn't know where I came from either, but they accepted me as if I was truly their daughter. Instinctively, I knew I was going to leave them after a year. But before that could happen, humans had other plans._

 _''Apparently, I attracted a lot of interest. Some humans tried to capture me at all costs, and my parents ended up paying for it with their freedom, and maybe even their lives, protecting me in the process,''_ she recounted bitterly.

Her face fell, and the human saw she had difficulties telling him the next part.

 _''After that, I cried my eyes out at the loss of my parents. Bitter loneliness had me in its grip for weeks. I didn't know what to do anymore, and blamed it entirely on your kind. It's since then that I would never forgive humans for what they did to me—the reason why I treated you like dirt.''  
_  
Jirachi had trouble keeping her tears in check. This was a very sore topic for her to talk about, and Nick was the second person she'd ever told, her mate being the first.

''I'm truly sorry for you,'' the human muttered, ''We're the cause of a lot of bad things. It's in our very nature.''

The silence was palpable in the room, which was cut like a knife going through butter by the human, who gave Jirachi a soft smile.

''Fortunately, we're not all bad; I for instance would never try to capture you... Not that I could anyway.''

Jirachi giggled, the sadness she felt melting away at the human's adorable attempt to make her feel better.

 _''You're so bad at comforting others,''_ she teased, _''But cute in your own little way.''  
_  
Nick chuckled, ''Well, thank you. My sister told me that multiple times when I tried to comfort her too,'' he joked.

Stifling another giggle, she floated closer to Nick, blushing shyly before kissing him on the cheek. _''But seriously, thanks. It felt kinda nice talking to you,''_ she said honestly.

Rubbing the spot her lips just left him, he uttered a gasp of disbelief. ''Did you just kiss me?'' he asked playfully.

 _''I did,''_ she responded cutely, giving him a wink.

This legendary was getting more appealing by the second. Letting a sly smile wash over his face, he pouted, ''You know, my other cheek kinda feels left out now.''

 _''Oh, sorry. Let me fix that real quick,''_ Jirachi whispered lovingly. This time, she was way more sensual, actually managing to make Nick blush as she let her lips linger there a tad longer.

Breaking the kiss, she grinned at the flustered human. _''Better?''_

The human could only nod his head stupidly, the affection she displayed was nothing but sweet.

''You're cute,'' he stated after a while.

Jirachi hugged him, beaming with happiness before sitting on his lap in contentment.

''Well, how about we're going to explore Petram City now?''

The legendary nodded. _''I know exactly a place you will love,''_ she replied, flying to the door eagerly. _''Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go!''_

* * *

In front of Nick was a building that he recognized all too well, and he looked hopefully at the grinning Jirachi.

She nodded her head. _''You wanted to be a Pokémon trainer, right? Well, a trainer collects badges at gyms, so let's earn you one as a souvenir,''_ she exclaimed brightly.

''You mean it's actually okay for me to use you as my Pokémon?''

 _''But Nick, have you forgotten that I_ _ **am**_ _your Pokémon,''_ she replied innocently, making the human shudder in anticipation.

''This is going to be so great!''

He pumped a fist in the air, hugging the airborne Pokémon before dragging her along with him inside the gym.

It was surprisingly empty, but from the interior Nick could deduce this was a gym specialized in rock types, a double edged sword for Jirachi as rock Pokémon often learned ground-based moves as well.

''So, a new challenger approaches,'' a man in his late forties stated. He looked like your typical sculpture artist. His features were rock-hard but his mellow attitude and his kind voice betrayed it instantly.

''Yes, I am, sir. However, I only have one Pokémon on me. Is that okay?'' the student asked, pointing to his floating partner.

The gym leader smiled kindly. ''So you're the man everybody is talking about. It seems the rumors were true. I figured I would meet you sooner or later. Very well, I will accept your challenge for a one-on-one battle for the Gravel badge. The name is Vince, by the way.''

''Pleasure to meet you. My name is Nick, and this is my lovely Pokémon, Jirachi,'' he introduced himself and the legendary.

 _''Hi,''_ the psychic and steel type simply responded, not content to make much small-talk.

''Amazing, so your Jirachi is capable of telepathy! This certainly will be an interesting battle. Follow me please.''

While the duo was following Vince, the auburn-haired man whispered, ''So, what were all your moves again?''

 _''Psychic, Wish, Doom Desire and Thunder Wave,''_ she responded with a smile.

''So you're not an annoying para-flinch-hacks-physical set, huh? A special one can be pretty interesting, certainly against rock types which usually have weak Spdef.''

 _''What?''_ Jirachi responded flatly.

Nick almost looked comically insulted. ''I know my Pokémon! I've no idea how good your IV's are though, or even your EV's... but we'll wing it and see where it goes.''

 _''All right then, nerd,''_ she teased, blowing him a raspberry.

''And proud!'' he added, blowing a raspberry back childishly.

The legendary giggled at his behavior, earning him a tender hug.

Not much later, Nick and Jirachi had entered a rock-themed battlefield while Vince stood opposite of them.

In the middle, a referee raised his flags. ''This will be a one-on-one battle for the Gravel Badge, Vince against the challenger Nick. The battle is over when one of the Pokémon is unable to battle. Trainers, please show your Pokémon,'' he exclaimed loudly.

''Now, Rampardos!'' Vince shouted, throwing a Pokéball in the air. Out came a menacing looking dinosaur Pokémon. He roared to show his dominance, a confident smirk on his face as he looked at Nick.

''All right, Jirachi! Give 'em hell!''

She calmly levitated on the battlefield, the expression of the rock-type Pokémon changing slightly. He was surprised, and a little bit afraid of the fact he had to face a legendary. Nonetheless, he wasn't Vince's ace for nothing, and positioned himself in a battle stance.

'This is nice,' Nick thought, 'While Rampardos are immensely powerful, their defences are pitiful at best. Moreover, this Pokémon is pure rock, which means I can paralyze it and then finish it off with a Doom Desire.'

Game plan in mind, the student was ready for battle.

Just then, the referee spoke up once more. ''Rampardos versus Jirachi, begin!'' he said, and lowered his flags, indicating that the battle was on.

''All right Rampardos, start this off with a Head Smash,'' Vince commanded. His plan was simple. Get this Jirachi on the ground and then finish it off with an Earthquake.

The Pokémon complied with a deafening roar, charging the idle legendary like a rocket, his whole body glowing white with energy.

''Change his course with Psychic,'' Nick countered.

Vince began to laugh. ''If you think that's possible, you're sadly mistaken. When Rampardos is like this, he's unstoppable. Look, he doesn't even bother dodging the boulders on his path, they get reduced to nothing but dust.''

Vince was telling the truth. Rampardos looked like a freight train as he picked up speed; even boulders twice his size he charged into head first. They didn't even slow him down as the boulders were smashed to bits like they were made of papier-mâché.

Nonetheless, Nick wasn't worried. He had seen what Jirachi was capable of when she'd saved him yesterday. ''Well, I think you're underestimating Jirachi's power,'' the auburn-haired man responded confidently.

Rampardos was getting very close now, his bulk shaking the floor as he ran. ''Puny legendary will be destroyed,'' he roared, adding just a little bit more of his power in the final yards of his sprint.

''Yeah, I don't think so,'' the psychic and steel type replied. Her eyes glowed blue with psychic energy, and the whole ground began to shake at the amazing power she displayed. The small legendary focused on the rampaging rock type, and pressed all of her energy she had accumulated down on him.

One moment, the Rampardos was still running, the other, he was as flat as a pancake as Jirachi literally rammed him through the floor.

Dust covered the battlefield from the incredible attack, the yelp of pain from the Rampardos greatly overshadowed by the loud sound of all the other boulders being smashed to bits in the aftershock. Cracks ran through the whole battlefield, and once the dust cleared, three baffled humans stared back at the Wish Maker.

The rock-type was nowhere to be found, buried deeply below the surface and knocked out cold in one clean hit.

'Maybe I overdid it a little,' Jirachi thought mareepishly, but those doubts were soon replaced with joy when she heard Nick cheer happily.

''That was fucking amazing!'' he screamed, ''I can't believe you just did that!''

Hugging the legendary from behind, she began to giggle, enjoying his affection while the referee cleared his throat. ''Rampardos is unable to battle, Jirachi wins! Which means the winner of this battle is Nick. Congratulations!'' he spoke professionally.

Vince gave a look of disbelief. 'I never stood a chance, even if I had used a full team of six Pokémon,' he thought, bewildered. 'Such is the strength of a legendary. I fear what would happen if such power fell into the wrong hands.'

Shaking his head, he made his way to the overjoyed student, recalling his Rampardos from the pit he was in, and extending his hand which held a shimmering item. ''This is the Gravel badge. You've earned it fair and square. Please accept it as a token of your win against me today.''

Nick took it, and couldn't help but do an Ash Ketchum victory pose. ''All right! I got a Gravel badge,'' he exclaimed to no one in particular, making the gym leader perk his brow while Jirachi snickered at his behavior.

''Young man,'' Vince called out, ''It's clear you love your Jirachi a lot, which is why I would like you to do your best to keep her out of the wrong hands.''

Nick nodded, ''I will, definitely. She's very precious to me.''

The psychic and steel type blushed, a happy feeling spreading throughout her body at the human's words.

 _''Well, you're precious to me too,''_ she replied shyly, her flustered cheeks making her look absolutely adorable.

Giving her a soft kiss on the top of her head in return, he said, ''You're cute.''

 _''Idiot,''_ she teased back, taking the Gravel badge from him before shooting off with it.

''Hey, that's mine!'' He shouted, chasing the laughing legendary out of the gym.

Vince looked at the duo with a rock-hard smile, waving after them. 'There's no doubt in my mind,' he thought, 'that these two were meant for each other.'

* * *

Night fell in Petram City. After the duo had eaten in the Pokémon Center's restaurant, the human was preparing himself for a night out.

''Are you sure you don't want to come with me? It's going to be fun!'' Nick tried to persuade the legendary.

She shook her head. _''I'm still not very used to crowded places, but thanks for the offer! You have a great time, enjoy the night and don't get drunk!''_ she warned. _''I'm not going to clean up your mess.''  
_  
''Yes, ma'am,'' he saluted. ''If you need me, I'm at a place called Paradiso. It looked very promising and they allow Pokémon inside too, which seems like fun.''

 _''I'm sure it is,''_ she agreed, _''I'll probably be sleeping when you return, so try to be silent.''_

''I will! Bye,'' he called out, and with that, he closed the door behind him, ready for a night of fun.

* * *

Paradiso was like Nick expected; it was exotic, it was different than he was used to, and it was awesome. Paradiso was a fairly big dance club, and offered a plethora of musical genres. Since the human liked House the most, it was no surprise that he was on that particular dance floor.

The tracks were ones he never heard before, which was to be expected, of course, but that only made him enjoy it even more. After making some idle chit-chat with some people and a couple of girls in particular, the human decided to rest at the bar and enjoy his beer.

One thing he still had to get used to were all the different Pokémon that were shuffling on the dance floor as well. He snickered to himself, as at one moment, he'd danced with a very alluring Lopunny, who'd no trouble directing him where to hold her.

The experience was one he sure wasn't going to forget, especially since her ass was soft and very fluffy. To his surprise though, he was soon snatched away from the normal type Pokémon and was dancing alongside an adorable little Luxray who could shake her behind as if she was a professional dancer.

Nick could dance pretty well himself, but this stunning beauty was unbeatable on the floor. Her little growls as she nuzzled him occasionally made a big grin form on the human's face. As the cherry on top, and by far his most unique experience this night, was a Flygon.

The dragoness danced awkwardly on the ground, which gave her an odd sense of charm. Nick couldn't care less about how she moved; he was grinning like a madman just from the fact that he was sharing the dance floor with a dragon, something that seemed entirely unreal to him.

But when she lowered her neck, offering him to ride her, she completely shattered the human's mind by moving so gracefully through the air on the beat of the music, she would even put the Luxray in her place.

A good twenty minutes he had been partying on the back of a dragoness, people below cheering for him while he put his hands up in the air to acknowledge their approval.

''Man, this night can't get any better,'' he muttered as he recalled the highlights of the evening while sipping his drink.

He couldn't have been more wrong.

The music dimmed slightly to allow DJ Insomnia to speak up. ''Are you all having a good time?''

The crowd roared their affirmative.

''I can't hear you party people, I said are you all heaving a good time!?''

The deafening roar that shattered the previous one was the crowd's answer while they clapped and cheered for the music producer.

''That's what I like to hear, because we have a very special request coming up right now. I'm proud to say that for the first time in my career, a legendary Pokémon will be joining me, and you people, on the floor.''

Nick almost choked on his beer when he heard those words. It couldn't be.

''Now you may all have heard the stories of a certain legendary Pokémon floating around in the city, or maybe even seen her,'' the DJ went on, making the crowd nod and scream in eagerness.

''Well, she's here right now! Give it up for lady Jirachi, the Wish Maker!''

The crowd went nuts when the psychic and steel type appeared on stage, cheering and roaring for her as she took the mic and projected her telepathy through it.

 _''Are you all ready for this!?''_ she screamed.

More deafening roars.

 _''Because I sure as the distortion world am! This next song is dedicated to a very special person to me. It's a brand new track, and I hope you guys will enjoy it!''_

Nick was at a loss for words when a song started to play that he recognized all too well. It was the same one he'd let Jirachi listen to three days ago—the one she definitely seemed to have enjoyed even though she'd said otherwise.

As if she knew his surprise and could sense it, the legendary Pokémon levitated to the middle of the dance floor, the party people moving out of the way for the psychic and steel type.

There, she beckoned Nick over, her psychic enveloping him and pulling the human towards her.

The song built up speed, almost reaching the satisfying drop as every eye of the crowd was on Jirachi and Nick.

 _''Hi,''_ she said shyly.

''Idiot!'' the human jokingly replied, using the insult she so often called him. ''Do you even know how to dance?''

 _''Not really,''_ she admitted, _''Is that bad?''_

''No. Not at all,'' he reassured, holding her close.

Jirachi gasped at the sudden contact, blushing a bright red as he whispered in her ear, ''It's only you and me now.''

The base dropped, and so did Nick as he began to dance perfectly on the beat with his legendary Pokémon, the crowd following their example while cheering them on.

The psychic and steel type did her best to keep up with the student, but her movements were sloppy at best compared to Nick's. Nevertheless, she had a bright smile on her face, shaking her body wildly like she didn't care.

Nick was really getting into it now, moving his body the same way Jirachi did, even though it wasn't on the rhythm of the beat in the slightest.

More people began to copycat the legendary, laughing at the awkward way she moved and adoring how cute she looked doing it.

The second drop arrived, and the legendary had the huge urge to levitate Nick with her into the air.

So that's exactly what she did.

Moving above the crowd, glowing like a couple of deities while dancing to the music, they only had eyes for each other. It was a surreal experience for the human; he felt elevated to a whole new level.

When the track finally began to reach its end, Jirachi hugged the human, slowly lowering them to the ground again while DJ Insomnia spoke up again.

''Ladies and gentlemen, Lady Jirachi and Nick!'' He exclaimed. The crowd clapped respectfully, whistling and cheering for the hugging duo.

''Kiss her already!'' one man hollered over the mass of people, making other people laugh. ''We want to see a kiss!''

''Yeah, do it!'' a woman agreed wholeheartedly. ''Kiss, kiss, kiss,'' she began to chant, putting her hands in the air.

It wasn't difficult riling people up. Soon, the whole dance floor was chanting but one thing: ''Kiss, kiss, kiss!''

Nick and Jirachi both turned a bright red at the crowd's demand, but they didn't shy away from each other. In fact, the human's heartbeat went up significantly when the legendary moved closer to him, her breath warm on his face.

Her eyes twinkled with desire and love, silently waiting for the human's reaction to her advancements towards him.

Nick couldn't possibly deny her.

Slowly, he moved in, until his lips touched hers, making the crowd roar in thundering approval. Jirachi's body shivered; she felt so happy she could cry. His lips were dry and chapped, but frankly she didn't care. It was the best kiss she'd had in her entire life.

Reluctantly, the human moved away. It wasn't a deep kiss or an erotic one, but Nick could feel the butterflies in his stomach anyway.

The set of seductive eyes and hungry growl Jirachi gave him afterwards helped too.

The couple didn't stay much longer after that. Once they had returned to the Pokémon Center, and locked the door to their room, the psychic legendary instantly forced Nick on the bed.

Biting her lip, she met him in a kiss once more, savouring the moment as she desperately tried to deepen it. The human was sure he was dreaming; he must've drunk one too much, because here he was, making out with his guide—a Jirachi—and enjoying every second of it.

He felt her tongue asking for entrance, and he parted his lips, meeting it in the middle with his own. She tasted sweet, like vanilla, and he began to twirl his tongue around hers, making the Pokémon moan.

Wrestling for dominance, the psychic and steel type won quite convincingly, and pushed her tongue inside Nick's mouth to explore it. She was curious, lingering over his canines as she mixed her fluids with his.

At last, she broke the deep show of affection, a trail of saliva connecting the parting lips of both human and Pokémon. Panting and blushing, Jirachi murmured shyly, _''I think I like you.''_

Chuckling at how adorably she behaved, Nick responded the only way he could.

''You're cute.''

Capturing Jirachi's lips in another kiss—one that she melted in—the legendary let herself be swept away in Nick's embrace.

* * *

''You seem nervous, dear,'' King noted with his sharp eyes.

Jirachi shrugged. ''Just excited to see you again tomorrow,'' she lied.

Truth be told, she didn't want to see her mate at all. She now only wanted to spend time with Nick. More importantly, King wanted the human for his own wicked plans; she knew this all too well.

Of course she didn't care at first what happened to Nick at the end of the week, but now that she bonded so well with the auburn-haired man, maybe even more than she would think was possible, there was no way she was going to hand him over.

''Are you looking that forward to mating with me, dear, I'm flattered,'' King spoke appreciatively.

''Y-yeah, you're completely right!''

'I'd much rather mate with Nick than with you,' she thought afterwards, blushing at the pictures her mind came up with.

Now Jirachi was in a pretty difficult predicament. She knew she had to lie to King, something he would notice very fast. But she also had to lie to Nick to keep him safe. The legendary somehow needed to get him to change his mind about seeing a Latias, and then take him away from King as far as possible, since they were pretty close to his location already.

''Where are you right now?'' her mate asked, ''Petram City?''

She nodded. ''If everything goes as planned, we should arrive tomorrow, sometime in the afternoon.''

''Excellent. I have prepared everything for his arrival. Finally I can enact my plan! And you shall be rewarded like I promised.''

Jirachi gave him a fake smile. They absolutely weren't going to arrive tomorrow afternoon, and she was personally going to make sure of that, even if she had to knock Nick out in the process.

''I'm looking forward to it,'' she spoke.

Another lie. Jirachi didn't care about the reward anymore. She didn't care if King haunted her dreams for the rest of her life afterwards, as long as Nick would be safe, she was happy.

''Then I'll see you tomorrow, dear.''

Her mate disappeared, and Jirachi let out a sigh she didn't know she was holding back.

''Don't worry, Nick. Everything will be fine. I'll protect you.''

* * *

 **Day 5  
**  
The next day when Nick was still fast asleep, Jirachi was pacing through the main lobby of the Pokémon Center, contemplating her plan of action. Stalling seemed like her best option for now. After that, she could try to persuade Nick, or if worse came to worse, just forcefully get him away from King.

She didn't want to resort to her final option. The psychic and steel type had hurt the human more than enough. But if he was going to be stubborn, which was probably going to be the case, Jirachi wouldn't hesitate to use force if necessary.

Sighing deeply, she let her mind drift off to better thoughts, like how incredible last night was. Her surprise had worked out even better than she'd hoped, and thinking back at the kiss and what followed afterwards, sent Butterfrees through her stomach like a wildfire.

There was no denying she had developed a big crush on the human, the sheer joy she experienced just being around him overshadowed everything else in comparison. Humming a happy tune, she decided to order some room service while she was downstairs.

* * *

Meanwhile, the student had woken up, and seeing that Jirachi was nowhere in sight, decided to take a nice soak in the bubble bath. It was relaxing to say the least, and a stupid grin formed on Nick's face when he thought about last night.

''I made out with a Pokémon, a rare, legendary Pokémon,'' he thought while snickering to himself. It was an odd experience, but not one he felt disgusted about. No, he quite adored Jirachi. He would even say that he felt attracted to her, so it wasn't weird when her telepathic voice called out to him, that he answered back jovially.

''I'm in the bubble bath, cutie,'' he said teasingly.

A pause, before a bold reply.

 _''Nice, I'll join you momentarily! I need to treat your eye anyway.''  
_  
Nick grew just a tad nervous. He hadn't expected such a response at all, but that soon washed away when the legendary in question entered the room.

 _''Good morning, sleepyhead,''_ the psychic and steel type greeted him, taking her sweet time to appreciate his somewhat toned physique. Nick certainly wasn't a slouch when it came to taking care of himself, and while he was still in a couple of swimming trousers, Jirachi found herself enjoying the sight nonetheless.

''Morning, where have you been?''

 _''Just ordering us some breakfast, that's all,''_ she stated, _''And now I'm enjoying your manly chest—for real this time.''  
_  
Nick grinned at the self-esteem boost, before getting a little bit nervous again. ''Hey, about last night,'' the human muttered.

 _''What about it?''_ Jirachi replied, approaching Nick temptingly.

''Uhm, I really enjoyed my time with you, but... I uhm, want to know for certain—what I mean to say is—'' his ramblings were cut short by the legendary who had pressed her lips firmly on his, enjoying the surprise that edged on Nick's face.

Breaking it reluctantly, she whispered, _''I really like you, Nick. Last night wasn't a spur of the moment thing if that's what you tried to stutter just now.''  
_  
''Jirachi, I like you too, a lot even! But—''

 _''But what, Nick?''_ She asked, her voice betraying a hint of hurt. _''Is it because I'm a Pokémon?''  
_  
''What? No! That's not it at all!''

 _''Then what is it?''  
_  
''Your mate,'' he said honestly. ''What about him?''

 _''Oh,''_ the legendary muttered, backing off a little. She let herself sink into the bubble bath, trying to think up a believable answer. She couldn't just tell him that King was her mate. She definitely had to say something else.

'Typical of Nick to be concerned about something like this,' she thought sourly. It was one of Nick's qualities she simply loved about him—one that now worked against Jirachi as she dug herself deeper in a pit that was inevitably going to collapse right on top of her.

 _''I don't have a mate anymore,''_ she lied, _''That was a long time ago, so there's nothing for you to worry about.''  
_  
She smiled, swam over to Nick and gave him a reassuring peck on the lips. _''Now lemme see that eye of yours.''  
_  
The human relaxed a lot at the answer, sitting completely still as the legendary did her magic.

 _''Hey, Nick,''_ Jirachi said.

''Hmm?''

 _''I've been thinking about that offer you gave me a couple days ago, the one about you teaching me how to read?''  
_  
''You want me to teach you?''

She nodded her head enthusiastically, _''Yes please!''  
_  
He chuckled, ''I would love to.''

 _''Is it okay if we stayed another day in Petram City then?''  
_  
Nick gave it some thought, something that had the legendary more nervous than she would've assumed. ''Fair enough. Teaching you along the road isn't very ideal. Besides, we're almost at the location anyway, right?''

 _''That's right, it's only four hours at most from here!''  
_  
More lies. It was definitely a day's worth of travel, but every opportunity that helped Nick to stay where he was, Jirachi took with open arms.

''Then it's settled! I'll teach you the alphabet today and you will bring me to the location tomorrow.''

She kissed him appreciatively, an action that was soon deepened by Nick who held her close as he let his body sink further into the bath, just until their connected mouths were underwater.

Jirachi moaned as she felt his tongue, the warm water adding an entirely new experience for the duo as she let him inside. They continued to make out lovingly, the raw emotions igniting a fire in their bodies that could only be extinguished with passion.

After a while, a knock on the door was heard, making the psychic and steel type huff in frustration. ''Room service,'' a young masculine voice shouted.

''It's okay, go get it. I won't be going anywhere,'' Nick spoke gently.

 _''You better not; otherwise I drag your ass back in the bath and have my way with you anyway!''  
_  
Nick laughed, ''Don't let the poor boy wait now, Mistress,'' he joked. ''And give him a nice tip for his troubles!''

 _''Will do!''_

* * *

The afternoon went by quickly. As it turned out, Jirachi was a fast learner and enjoyed the process a lot. At the end of the day, she could read basic words and write them down.

 _''This is actually pretty cool,''_ the legendary admitted. She was currently reading a Pokémon guide for young trainers, her eyes going over all the different syllables as she tried to comprehend them.

''It is, isn't it? Writing has been around for quite some time. It was the very first step of humanity establishing society as we know it today. No longer do we have to run around half naked looking for food like a couple of hobo nomads.''

Jirachi giggled, _''I was around before that, you know.''  
_  
Nick wondered, ''I'm almost afraid to ask now, but could you tell me how old you are?''

 _''Of course! Now keep in mind, while the number is mind boggling for you, for a Jirachi it's still considered very young. My kind can get ten million years old on average.''_

'' _Ten_ _million!?_ ''

Laughing, she confirmed it with a nod. _''However, I'm only around twenty-nine thousand years old. In that sense, you could say I'm still a teenager.''  
_  
''Huh, I'm not sure how to react to that,'' Nick said.

 _''Don't worry, my kind is sexually mature after their first hibernation, so when they're one-thousand and one years old, if that's what you're concerned about.''  
_  
''It's still odd. I'm only twenty-three, an insignificant number to what you are. You were born before the homo sapiens even discovered how to use fire.''

 _''Homo sapiens?''_

''Scientific name for humans,'' Nick explained.

''How do you write that?''

The human smiled, ''Like this.'' He showed Jirachi, to which the legendary nodded after she understood.

 _''But yes, twenty-three is nothing for me,''_ Jirachi went on, _''It's to be expected though, you guys are lucky if you hit the one-hundred.''  
_  
''That's true, we tend to age pretty quickly,'' Nick said, shaking his head. ''Anyway, why don't we call it a day? From here on out, you can develop your writing and reading skill without my help.''

 _''Okay,''_ the psychic and steel type agreed, _''Thanks, by the way.''_

She gave him a kiss, one that Nick had no trouble returning.

 _''And since I'm so grateful, why don't I take you to the movies? You like films, yes?''  
_  
''Like?'' Nick snorted. ''I love films! I'm a movie fanatic. I would very much enjoy a night with you at the cinema.''

 _''Then let's buy us some tickets, shall we?''_

* * *

The cinema was like the human had expected; it was full of Pokémon loving teenagers. So naturally, he and Jirachi were the center of attention. For the first time in her life, the legendary had to write autographs, something she couldn't have done without Nick's help—not that she had an autograph in the first place, but with Nick's friendly suggestions, she quickly thought one up; one that fitted her pretty well.

Of course, she was still very awkward around humans, which was also the reason she only was at Paradiso for approximately half an hour last night. Still, lots of people recognized the duo, even making some suggestive comments about the kiss they shared at the club, something that was filmed plenty of times and spread all over the Internet.

Accompanied by a legion of fans, the duo bought a couple of tickets to a movie called Detective Pikachu. The movie poster reminded Nick a lot of Sherlock Holmes with hints of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney mixed into it.

''Hey Jirachi, want some popcorn with the movie?'' the human asked her.

Some teenagers snickered. ''They're going to share a bag of popcorn together, aww, how cute.''

The legendary couldn't help but blush, but Nick just gave them a sly smile. ''We definitely are. Maybe even get a little intimate somewhere in the middle.'' He winked at the teens, most of the girls bursting into fits of giggles while the boys grinned broadly.

Ignoring the small army for now and having bought some snacks and drinks, Jirachi decided to see the movie from Nick's lap. Most Pokémon were allowed in the cinema, as long as they could sit in the chairs or otherwise wouldn't obstruct the view for other people.

 _''This movie is praised for being very good,''_ the psychic and steel type informed.

''I'm curious. I've seen my fair share of detectives.''

At last, after the mandatory commercials and trailers had ended, the movie was about to start. The story was interesting, to say the least. A murder had to be solved by Detective Pikachu. Along the road he would meet a plethora of suspects and some cheeky females. It was coupled with bits of dry humor and plot twists. It was indeed, a very good movie.

''Detective? What does this word mean?''

The Pikachu in question stared deeply at the graffiti painted wall of an abandoned home that was believed to house the murderer. A daunting deep track played in the background, the single word on the wall was written in blood red.

''Capitata,'' the electric rodent muttered deep in thought, stroking his non-existent beard for a definition.

''Will-o-wisp?'' Both Nick and Jirachi guessed at the same time.

The human stared at the legendary in surprise. ''How did you know?'' he whispered.

 _''Pretty easy. That's just how Will-o-wisp was called a very long time ago. Most people should have forgotten it by now, but for me it feels almost like yesterday.''  
_  
The human nodded. He only knew because of a mistake in the sixth Pokémon movie. When Butler ordered his Dusclops to use the move Capitata, that should've been Will-o-wisp. Ironically, that was the movie with Jirachi in it as well.

The film then reached its climax: in the end it was a human magician with the help of ghost type Pokémon who did it. Surprisingly, she was a female as well. She was very good with illusions, that's how she lead Detective Pikachu on the wrong track in the first place. But in the end, Pikachu's wit overcame the magician's tricks, and after a very nerve wracking chasing scene, the film ended on a happy note.

 _''Well, did you like it?''_ Jirachi asked hopefully.

''It was awesome! I especially liked how deep Detective Pikachu's voice was. It was oddly fitting.''

Hugging the human lovingly, the duo left the cinema and was surprised to come across an evening market, crowded with people and Pokémon of all kind.

 _''You wanna take a look?''_ the legendary asked.

''Sure. Maybe I'll even see something nice.''

 _''Buy what you like, I'll pay for you.''  
_  
''That does remind me,'' Nick stated, ''How'd you get all that money?''

It was a legitimate question, one that had Jirachi immediately feeling guilty. She did steal Grannie Anne's savings after all; something that she was going to set right very soon.

While some of her money was stolen, most of it came from her mate, and she had no idea how he got all of it.

 _''From King,''_ she replied simply, not budging any further in the matter. Nick decided to drop the subject and instead look at some of the stalls. They had a lot of items that awed the human, which otherwise would be considered pretty normal for the average trainer.

In the end, Nick had bought an Ultra Ball, Pokéflute, Dawn Stone, a case for his badge, TM87 and even a brand new Pokédex. Pointing it at Jirachi, the device beeped. ''Jirachi, the Wish Pokémon, reputed to have the power to grant wishes. Jirachi only awakens for seven days every thousand years,'' the mechanical device informed.

''Well, that was a waste of money,'' Nick concluded.

The legendary giggled, _''Keep it anyway. Maybe it'll provide you with some info about different Pokémon that you didn't know already.''_

Walking back the way they came, a photographer grabbed their attention. ''Young man with the Jirachi! Could you spare a second of your time? My name is Mike and I make black and white pictures of people and their Pokémon in traditional clothing. Now it would be an honour if you guys would take a picture, free of charge. I only request that I may use a copy in my stall to show other people in the future.''

Nick was quick to answer, ''Sure! That sounds cool.''

''Beautiful! Follow me, please.''

While seeing what kind of clothes Nick had to wear when they entered the stall, Jirachi began to giggle.

''What's so funny?'' the human questioned her.

 _''Nothing. Only me picturing you in traditional clothes makes me laugh.''  
_  
Bursting into another fit of giggles, Nick rolled his eyes. ''Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. Too bad you'll have to wear this!''

Holding a small Pokémon dress that went out of style a hundred years ago, the legendary widened her eyes in horror.

 _''There's no way you'll be getting me in that ugly thing!''_

* * *

 _''This is so humiliating,''_ Jirachi grumbled sourly. The dress fit her perfectly and Nick couldn't help but tease her.

''What do you mean? You look absolutely stunning in that... whatever it is.''

He grinned at the dark look she shot at him. _''I look like an ugly old hag! You at least seem decent!''  
_  
Mike was satisfied with the transformation, though. ''Now get really close together! Lady Jirachi, if you could, almost press your face against Nick's,'' he directed.

 _''What about this?''_ she suggested instead, pressing her lips softly against Nick's cheek while she kept on looking forward.

The natural blush that appeared on Jirachi's cheeks, combined with the adorable smile on Nick's face really made it a warm scene.

''Magnificent! Divine! Such a lovable couple you are!'' Mike gushed while taking pictures non-stop. The praise only made the duo blush more, an act that Mike loved to see.

''Great, keep looking like that! Just a couple more,'' he said. ''And we're done!''

The first thing the psychic and steel type did was help herself out of the dress. While the legendary was busy, Mike showed Nick the pictures. ''Look at how adorable you are. These pictures came out great!''

Nick had to agree. Even Jirachi couldn't deny they were really nice. ''Here you are!'' the photographer said, handing them over. ''Have a great rest of the evening and thanks again!''

Waving Mike goodbye, the couple made their way back from the market to the Pokémon Center, deciding to get to bed early.

* * *

Jirachi really wasn't looking forward to this, but she knew she didn't have a choice. Before her was a very irritated King, and she smiled at him mareepishly.

''We had a bit of—''

''Spare me your excuses!'' King thundered angrily, making the legendary shrink.

''You promised you would be here today! So there I was, waiting patiently for your arrival, until I realized you were just full of shit!''

''N-no! That's not—'' Jirachi tried to defend herself.

''Shut it! Do not try to mess with me, you cunt! You aren't trying to mess with me, are you?'' her mate hissed dangerously.

''Of course not! We kinda had a rough day okay?'' Jirachi lied furiously. ''We're in the Great Plains right now, which means we're two hours away at most! I already told Nick we'll be leaving very early in the morning. Now will you _shut_ up!?''

It was a very great gamble to raise her voice like that, especially against a person like King. But to her utter luck, it worked out as her mate sighed loudly.

''Honestly, what am I going to do with you?'' King asked, exasperatedly.

''Don't worry; 5 A.M. is when we leave, which means we'll be there by 7 A.M. Is that manageable?''

King stayed silent for a while. ''All right then. I'm sorry I lashed out at you, dear, but you know how frustrated I can get when you don't keep your promises.''

''I know. It won't happen again.''

''Good,'' her mate nodded, ''But let me make one thing clear,'' he spoke threateningly, making Jirachi gulp.

''If you ever order me to shut up again, I will personally rip out your vocal cords through your throat! Are we clear?''

''Perfectly,'' she squeaked anxiously.

With that, King left. The psychic and steel type's body was filled with anxiety and an incredible coldness that made her stiff with fear. She awoke with a start, luckily not waking up Nick.

The clock showed it was 2 A.M., which meant that she only had six hours tops before King would realize she was fucking him over.

Gently wriggling herself out of the human's grasp, she kissed him softly, before teleporting away. She had things to set right first.

* * *

 **Day 6.  
**  
Great distance teleportation was pretty straining on the body, so that's why Jirachi only used it when necessary. Needless to say, using it three times in quick succession was very tiresome, but the legendary was back in Argil Town while holding a very old diary in her hands.

She took the time to rest, and wrote her very first letter to a certain human who owned a Jumpluff: an apology to be exact. With it, she returned the money she had stolen, and attached the old book. Teleporting inside Grannie Anne's home, she placed the package on the dining table, and left as quickly as she had appeared.

Panting, she focused her entire mind into teleporting herself all the way back to Petram City, a feat she wouldn't have been able to do weren't it for a very special human entering her mind. _''I'm going to protect you Nick, no matter what!''_ She cried.

Gritting her teeth, she glowed like a mini sun, illuminating the whole town in the middle of the night. With an audible pop, she was gone; her teleportation a success.

When she had finally entered the Pokémon Center again, she was panting heavily, but never had she been more determined in her entire life.

''Is everything all right?'' the Nurse Joy behind the counter asked with concern in her voice.

 _''I'm fine. What time is it?''  
_  
''Around 3:30, Miss.''

Jirachi smiled. She had made it with time to spare. Now for the next phase.

Willing herself to teleport back into Nick's room, she began to prepare. Her wish tags began to glow, pouring countless energy into the sleeping form of the human while she hugged him close.

The layer of psychic around Nick would protect him and make him a lot more durable. Using a Wish on herself to replenish health, she began to mentally prepare for an encounter with King, which was very likely to take place. Jirachi wasn't going to take any chances when it came to her mate; if something were to happen, she would be ready for it. She decided that when the clock hit 6 A.M., she and Nick would be out of this hotel, far away from Petram City, whether he liked it or not.

Sighing, she snuggled against her crush again, knowing she could catch at least two more hours of sleep before they had to flee.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the edge of Petram City, a very sinister-looking man was slowly making his way to the high-rise Pokémon Center that Nick and Jirachi were currently staying at for the night. He walked at a very swift pace, the aggravated scowl on his face reflecting his current state of mind perfectly.

King was pissed off tremendously; his mind was literally screaming at him to murder somebody right here and now. Certainly, that was what he was going to do to his 'mate' in just a few minutes. Just the mere thought of it sent a shiver of excitement down his spine and did wonders in alleviating the fury boiling inside of him. He knew she was lying the moment that she tried to defend herself, and it was true, because there wasn't a single soul in the Great Plains that resembled Jirachi's unique aura in the slightest.

He didn't understand why she did it or what motivated her, but he was going to find out soon enough. Once he had squeezed every single damn answer out of her, he would kill her like the insignificant pest that she was. Finding her, thankfully, was amusingly easy. After all, her aura was very easy to track down in the middle of a human city. Jirachi's aura was, compared to the tiny sparks of the auras of the thousands of humans all around them, a blazing star of light that gave away her location long before he even entered the city.

'I only need Nick anyway,' he reassured himself darkly, entertaining his repulsive trail of thoughts as he cracked his neck while his hands tightened into fists. He was more than mentally prepared to make the Wish Maker suffer. As he walked by, King was completely oblivious to the few people out at this hour of the night on the sidewalk or on the street. Wherever he walked by, the temperature seemed to drop drastically and turn desolately icy, and everybody who came across him avoided him like the plague. No matter how drunk or high anyone was from partying all night, they just felt the wrongness that oozed from his body. They did not want to deal with this intimidating man at all.

King was only interesting in one thing, though, hence why his murderous gaze was dead focused upon the roughly forty story tall building directly in front of him, which was the Petram City Pokémon Center. He briefly stopped and looked up at the rather elegantly painted white and red-colored building, flashing an annoyed stare at the bright red large 'P' logo emblazoned at the top of it. He could feel Jirachi's powerful aura in there, however, pinpointing her small body within such a confined space would not be easy. He growled and made his way over to it with the intention of destroying the entire building if that was what it took to get Jirachi's star-shaped head on a silver platter.

The Clefairy-themed clock mounted on the wall read four and a half in the night when King abruptly entered the Pokémon Center's lobby, carelessly shoving the crystal doors out of his way as he did so. Oblivious to his horrid nature as she hadn't yet looked up from where she was finishing the night shift's paperwork, Nurse Joy welcomed him kindly. ''Welcome to the Pokémon Center. How can I help you?'' she asked sweetly yet with a slight hint of boredom, smiling with the perpetual kind and warm smile that characterized the nurses.

King snarled, an action that made the Nurse shriek loudly and rapidly raise her head, freezing in place when she locked eyes with King's cold teal eyes. The vile maliciousness that palpably oozed from him made him look like a demon straight out of the deepest pits of the Distortion World, and he probably was if she didn't know any better. ''Listen up, Joy,'' his icy voice whispered while putting a venomous emphasis on her name, approaching the poor Pokémon Nurse who was completely paralyzed on the spot.

''I'm looking for a Jirachi and I know she's here. So, you're either going to tell me nicely which room she is in, or I'll bring this whole building down and pull her body out of the rubble,'' he threatened her, the savage undertone in his voice making it clear he was not bluffing. ''And, you better not lie.''

''S-she's… on the t-twentieth floor, i-inside r-room twenty-eleven,'' Nurse Joy stuttered in fear, blurting out an honest answer out of pure horror.  
King rapidly made a quick count of the building's floors in his head from what his acute senses told him, noting Jirachi's aura did feel the strongest somewhere around the twentieth floor, meaning the nurse was being truthful. ''Good,'' King responded simply before his eyes flashed briefly with a dark, purple-colored spark. Immediately, the nurse fainted on the spot right there and entered a deep slumber plagued with the most horrifying of nightmares drawn from her worst fears.

Without saying anything else, King turned around and headed for the light switch on the wall beside the counter. With a vicious smirk, he flipped the switch off, plunging the lobby into his preferred environment: shadows and darkness. Unseen, he slowly melted into the shadows…

The hallway of the Pokémon Center's twentieth floor was very quiet and dimly illuminated, as only a few lights were on at this time of night. The shadows on one shady corner of the hallway rippled tamely as King silently materialized off from them in a matter of seconds. He glanced around, noting the room number closest to him. It didn't take long for him to find the room he was looking for, making him quicken his pace in excitement. He cracked his neck in preparation; this was going to be so fun. 'Even if she sucks at battling, I hope Jirachi puts up a good fight. It's more fun when bugs squirm,' he thought to himself ferociously.

As he approached the door which his prize was behind of, a putrid veil of purple shadows began to crackle and shine ominously around his arm, forming wicked rings of pure vile energy. King didn't even bother to knock, instead he extended his hand out forward and lightly touched the door in front of him. The energy pulsed darkly across the wooden door, silently dissolving it into an eerie bubbling black and purple ooze at the floor, which then began to eat away at the concrete floor, not that he cared in the slightest of course.

King walked into the room soundlessly, keeping each of his footsteps as quiet as he could. He noticed two beds, each in front of large curtain-covered windows. It was a cold night, as both of the room's occupants were tightly tucked inside of their beds as they slept away peacefully. He spared the sleeping form of Nick a small, condescending glance before focusing on the other bed where Jirachi was sleeping at. He walked towards her and smirked viciously. ''So long… you stupid bitch,'' he hissed as he reared back his arm, which was still covered in a veil of abhorrent shadow energy.

King grinned widely when he sensed Jirachi's aura suddenly spike, which as far as he knew only happened when she was afraid. She had clearly just woken up, only to realize her impending fate. King extended his index finger, concentrating as much power as he could on it before thrusting it forward aggressively. The concentrated Dark Pulse attack tore through the bed sheets easily, dissolving through them mercilessly in a disgusting pierce of dark power. However, much to king's shock, it wasn't Jirachi's body what was underneath them. King's speared attack easily went through the pillow under the covers and ended up piercing the entire bed before colliding with the concrete floor.

King's eyes widened as he sensed a sudden shift in the position of Jirachi's aura. Previously, the center of her aura felt right in front of him, but now it was unexpectedly located slightly to the right side of him… he looked up just as Jirachi suddenly threw the bed sheets covering her and the still sleeping Nick off from them, a fierce and defiant look in her eyes.

King gasped as realization struck him. It had been a trap. She had felt him coming and had gotten ready for him. 'Of course, my aura is even stronger than her own… she felt me just as easily as I felt her… and even then…' He paused, realizing his fatal error. 'Right! Why would she leave Nick defenseless? It's obvious she would have something up her sleeve,' he thought in alarm as Jirachi rapidly floated up and angled herself so that King was between her and the exterior wall of the room.

King pulled his arm back just as the bed he had attacked completely melted into a sickening mass of dark goop in the floor. Jirachi growled angrily at him, a curved line of light suddenly appearing on her chest. King froze on the spot, his previous smile fading into a look of horror as he realized that the earlier spike of Jirachi's aura hadn't been from fear. She had been readying her attack and had cleverly masked it as fear. Her whole body shined brilliantly like the galaxy itself now, the raw power rippling through it was like a barrage of comets tearing through the sky.

The eye in Jirachi's chest suddenly opened, releasing a massive flash of light so bright and intense that it made King snarl loudly in agony and put his darkness-veiled arm in front of his head in an attempt to shield his eyes from the extremely painful pulses of radiant light that it was bombarded with. Jirachi was the perfect opposite of him, he realized. While he was darkness, she was light. ''GO AWAY!'' Jirachi roared at the top of her lungs the very moment a gigantic silver-tinted blast of metallic light was suddenly released from the large eye in her chest.

King growled, unable to see anything from the blinding radiance that was painfully searing his eyes. He thrusted his arm forward in an attempt to defend himself, releasing a flare of black and purple-colored rings of dark energy directly in front of him, but it was all in vain. Jirachi's Doom Desire was far too powerful. Her attack completely tore the Dark Pulse to shreds, with the light tearing through and dissolving the dark into nothingness as it collided with the frozen still King.

King let out a piercing scream as the attack blasted him against the wall, completely blowing through it. A massive detonation echoed across the city as the Pokémon Center building's exterior wall was blasted outwards by a gigantic star of light that streaked across the city's skyline, leaving a bright and dazzling shower of silver dust and sparkles in its devastating wake. As the attack's shock-wave propagated across the city, thousands of windows shattered, car alarms blared, dozens upon dozens of lights turned on as people were woken by the massive explosion.

''What the fuck!?'' Nick screamed in full panic mode as he suddenly bolted out of bed, woken up by the booming sound. Immediately, he noticed that smoke was slowly spreading across the entire room as flames framed the gaping hole on the wall that faced the outside of the building. Debris was slowly falling from the massive tear, crashing on the building's sidewalk and crushing the unfortunate cars that were parked right there. The blast had been loud enough to wake nearly everybody in the city up and make the Pokémon Center building quake down to its foundations.

''Jirachi?'' Nick asked slowly. Jirachi looked very strained and was panting considerably, but her eyes remained focused ahead. She seemed in a trance and looked awed by the sheer amount of destruction she had caused. ''What did you–?'' he began to say while walking towards the Wish Maker Pokémon, but he froze and his eyes widened when he gazed out of the hole she had caused. A truly massive discharge of bright light was streaking in the distance, heading away from the city. It almost looked like a comet had just passed through the city.

''Woah…'' Nick whispered in awe. The massive blast of silver light collided against the face of a gigantic mountain that jutted out of the distant landscape near the horizon, sending a bright ring of light in all directions as the Doom Desire attack exploded into a massive blast of silvery light and energy. The explosion briefly illuminated the heavens and sent a huge billowing plume of flames and smoke rising into the murky sky almost as big as the mountain itself.

Nick took a step back, seeing the distinct ripple in the air approaching him from the shock-wave the blast had emanated. As the ripple streaked across the city, what few windows hadn't broken yet were broken violently by the pressure waves. He braced himself just as the resounding echo of the detonation reached him, with the force of the shockwave powerful enough to almost knock him off his balance and briefly make his ear drums ring painfully.

Nick recovered as fast as he could and stared at the gaping hole and the flaming mountain in the distance with dread and admiration before looking back at Jirachi. ''What the fuck is going on?'' Nick asked loudly and fearfully.

Jirachi suddenly turned around and grabbed his arm, tugging at it. _''There's no time to explain, let's just get out of here as fast as possible.''_

''Too late,'' a deep, awful voice thundered all around them. Unseen by the pair, the shadows on the corner of the opposite side of the room began to ripple as King calmly walked out of them as if he was walking out of a portal from hell itself.

Jirachi gasped in shock and whipped around. That was the strongest Doom Desire attack that she had ever managed to muster up and it still wasn't enough to even knock him out? In fact, King looked relatively unharmed. His clothes and hair were slightly singed and he looked a bit annoyed, but he seemed perfectly fine in general.

King approached the duo darkly, his chuckle turning cold and sinister. ''Hello there. So, you do have some fight in you, Jirachi. Here I thought this would be boring.'' He sneered at her. ''What a pleasant surprise.''

''King?'' Nick questioned in pure confusion. He looked between the massive hole that Jirachi's attack had caused, Jirachi and King in a frantic manner. He didn't know what was happening anymore and had no idea how to begin connecting the dots. ''What the hell is going on here!?''

''Jirachi dear, haven't you told our honored guest why I truly brought him here?'' King asked snidely, waving his arm at Nick's direction. ''Haven't you told him what purpose he truly serves in all of this?''

The tone of his voice made Jirachi wince in response. The legendary gritted her teeth while the sound of people panicking and smoke alarms going off were heard all around them.

King ignored it in favor of the human's questioning glance towards the psychic and steel type legendary. ''That's right, Nick. Did you honestly think I brought you here, and sent you a guide just so you could see a Pokémon? Are you really that naïve?'' he questioned with a raspy chuckle.

The human didn't want to believe King's words. ''W-what do you mean?'' he asked slowly and in a very unsure manner, his voice conveying a feeling that he didn't want to hear the answer to his own question.

''I mean it was all, one, big, fat, lie,'' King hissed as if he was a savage Seviper. The look of delight in his teal eyes clearly telling his enjoyment of the current scene.

The words pierced through Nick's soul like an icy cold knife. He felt defeated–gullible for believing his perfect fairy tale could be true. It had all seemed… so real. Until now.

''And, I should thank you for that, Jirachi.'' King smirked condescendingly at them. ''My _mate_ ,'' he added, putting a very strong and clear emphasis on the word. ''Thank you for bringing him this far.'' King grinned maniacally at the look of deject that rapidly appeared in the human's face, taking great joy as he revealed that the Wish Maker was working with him all along.

Jirachi felt disgusted at herself, shame welled up inside of her at the hurt look Nick gave her. She looked down towards the floor, unable to return his gaze.

''Is this true, Jirachi?'' the human asked her sadly, taking a few steps to the side to try and look at her face. She couldn't answer him and only turned her head away in shame to further avoid his gaze. For it was true, and she couldn't help but tear up when she heard King's soul-wrenching malicious laugh.

''There you have it! Jirachi didn't give a single crap about you all along! It was all an act to bring you to me. You see, I have searched high and low for a human who has the potential for my plan! You didn't really think she was your friend, right?'' King mocked him sharply.

''No…'' the human muttered slowly.

The Wish Maker felt her heart get stabbed at Nick's words. She began to sob softly, tears springing from her eyes from the absolute bitterness she felt and the hysterical laughter of King.

''I thought she was my mate.''

King's laughter died down instantly. ''Wait, what? That's… not what you're supposed to say,'' he pointed out, flashing Nick an irritated glance.

Nick smiled warmly, looking at Jirachi. ''She has been so amazing to me the last couple of days, treating my eye, making me feel good, showing me the sweetest affections,'' the human explained fondly. He turned and looked at King with a sharp and critical gaze. ''Do you really want me to believe that was all an act?'' the auburn-haired man replied smugly.

Jirachi gasped, her eyes twinkling in pure emotion for the human. ''Nick…'' she whispered softly.

''You're wrong,'' King dictated sternly. ''This was _—_ ''

''No,'' Nick interrupted sharply and with such firmness that it caused King to slightly stumble on his words. ''What really convinced me was the fact she attacked you just a moment ago. She attacked you, her own former mate,'' he explained, putting a venomous emphasis on the key word of his sentence. ''All in an act of pure desperation to save me from you.'' Nick paused, his voice thick with emotion as he looked for the perfect way to word what was on his mind. ''She loves me, and I love her back.''

The psychic and steel type legendary was about to start sobbing again, but this time out of sheer happiness and joy. Her body was acting weird, the love she felt for Nick was mind-blowing and she wanted nothing more but to smother him with affection.

Nick smiled. Fire was spreading wildly all around them and thick smoke was starting to cloud the room's ceiling, sirens and alarms were blaring all over the city and there was panic, a mountain in the far distance was on fire… but he didn't care. Not so long as he was beside Jirachi.

King looked on at the two with a baffled expression, as if he was struggling to comprehend what had just happened. Was this some kind of joke? Since when did Jirachi dump _him?_ If anything, it should only be him that's allowed to dump her. ''That's enough!'' He bellowed angrily, startling the two lovers. ''I don't want to hear any more of this nonsense!''

As King looked on, Jirachi's eyes suddenly glowed a vivid shade of blue as she exerted her strong Psychic Powers. With newfound strength within her, she felt like she could do anything, even stand up to her former mate. King paused and smugly looked at her, knowing full well that he was completely immune to any attacks of the Psychic type… which is why he paused when he felt some pebbles and dirt suddenly fall on his head.

 _''Then stop hearing altogether!''_ Jirachi screamed angrily, making King let out a startled backwards jump. With pure fury boiling inside of her, Jirachi used her psychic powers to grab a firm hold of the surrounding environment and with a firm tug, she completely tore a huge portion of the room's roof and floor out of the building's structure. With as much of her mental power as she could, she brought both of them together, crushing King in between them. The crash of both concrete slabs made a huge boom echo across the building, with rocks and pebbles being hurled in all directions.

Nick winced at the sickening cracks as both concrete slabs were grinded against each other by the furious Wish Maker. Jirachi growled, her eyes shining brightly once more. She tore out numerous steel beams from the gaping hole her earlier Doom Desire attack had caused as well as from the roof and floor she had just torn out, and then proceeded to impale the concrete trap she had just made with them. The entire thing was skewered numerous times as the steel beams easily pierced right through it.

Nick gulped, he had never seen Jirachi this mad before. Nor was he aware of just how much power she had. It was moments like this where he remembered she was a Legendary Pokémon after all. ''The rooms above and below us were empty, right?'' Nick asked slowly, worried that anyone might be caught in the crossfire of Jirachi's wrath.

 _''Yes, they were,''_ Jirachi responded, not noticing one of the faint shadows behind her beginning to ripple. Jirachi sighed as she gazed at her handiwork. Her eyes stopped glowing, letting the steel-skewered concrete mess fall down to the floor below. _''Hopefully… we're through with him for good.''_

''You fucking bitch,'' King sneered in a sinister voice from behind her, making Jirachi's eyes widen in fear. ''You aren't getting out of here alive, my _former_ mate,'' he taunted her unpleasantly, returning the venomous undertone to the exact same word Nick had used earlier. Just as Jirachi frantically whirled around, King grabbed her neck with both of his arms and then tightened his grip with all his physical strength. Jirachi struggled and gasped for air desperately as he roughly strangled her. He chuckled while looking condescendingly at her, a veil of dark energy beginning to swirl around his arms rather wildly. ''Now die.''

Just then, a fist connected with his cheek, one that made him stop his action to look up at a very pissed off human in front of him. The hit was pitiful and didn't even make him flinch, but nonetheless it was surprising enough to make him stop. ''So, you do have a spine after all,'' he commented sarcastically.

''Don't ever touch Jirachi like that again!'' Nick threatened him angrily.

''Or you'll do what exactly if I do it?'' King asked rhetorically, tightening his grip and making Jirachi screech in pain for emphasis.

Nick paused and growled when he realized the underlying truth of King's words, but nonetheless lunged at him again while throwing a punch with all his might. ''Or I'll do this!''

King chuckled and then threw Jirachi at him like she was a piece of garbage, making him fly backwards as Jirachi painfully crashed into him. Nick fell down into what was left of the floor and rolled a couple feet until his momentum stopped, dangerously close to the pitfall into the rubble-filled floor below.

Jirachi, meanwhile, collided against a wall behind them with so much strength that it cracked visibly, she then fell down to the floor while desperately coughing for air and looking visibly pained. As the fires kept spreading around them, King's attention was completely focused on the young student. Chuckling, his teal eyes began to turn demonic. ''Now… where have I seen this scene before?'' he muttered in a malicious and terrifyingly icy voice. ''Oh, I know! In your dreams, isn't it Nick? But, this isn't a dream, boy! No, this is harsh reality! But, one piece is still missing, right? That demon you always see.''

''Just… what are you?'' Nick asked fearfully. The human's breath threatened to stop right then and there, because the unbelievable began to happen. Before his very eyes, King began to morph. Murky and sickly shadows began to spread all across the human's body, changing his physical shape to one that keenly resembled the demonic entity from his dreams with uncanny precision. A dusky, billowing mane began to flow behind him, a ragged ring of red spikes formed as if they were a collar, his legs disappeared only to be replaced by what seemed like a ripped off cloak… Now, every little piece felt in its place as King turned into a Pokémon Nick knew all too well.

''You're the dark entity!'' Nick said angrily, ''Darkrai!''

''Yes I am,'' the dark type Pokémon responded in a deep, rugged and ghostly voice, which sounded a lot more sinister now that he was in his Pokémon form. ''I was the one who haunted all your dreams,'' he began to explain, a wicked and sadistic tone of pleasure underlying his tone. ''I killed off your precious Kate… again and again and agaaaaain. And, once I'm through with my plan, I'm going to do it for real.''

Nick growled angrily but had no way to respond to him. As much as he hated to admit it, there was nothing he could do to stop Darkrai even if he wanted to. He was just way too powerful.

''You see, Nick. I'm a pretty wanted Pokémon by Arceus and if I don't do something drastic, I'll get caught sooner or later. So, that's why I decided that fleeing was my only option. But, not somewhere on this world, or even another dimension, oh no, I'll be fleeing to another reality.'' Darkrai pointed towards the human. ''Your reality!'' he explained sharply, making Nick gasp out in shock.

Darkrai's eyes narrowed. ''Arceus doesn't exist in your reality. He's there only as something made up. He is powerless there. Now came the difficult part in all of this: that's actually _traveling_ there. I have the power for it, but not the qualities. Space and time would rip me to shreds if I tried carelessly. So, I had to search for a medium to do it. Somebody who was qualified for it; namely you!''

''What?'' Nick questioned, shocked. ''Me?''

''Yes, you have the power, Nick, which is why I could bring you here in the first place. But, now, I'm going to get that power for myself! A minor sacrifice for humanity, wouldn't you agree?'' Darkrai asked offhandedly. ''One death in a sea of billions of you guys won't really matter or make any difference. Yeah, you'll end up dying in the process, but, you had a complete shit life anyway!'' Darkrai laughed scornfully. ''It's not like you'll be missing out on anything. And, of course, while you're gone, I promise to take very good care of Kate. Oh, I can already envision all that I'm going to do to her… I'll be haunting her dreams every night about you killing yourself until she throws herself in front of a train on her own accord!'' he finished with a sadistic laugh.

Nick growled angrily. ''That won't happen…'' he responded slowly, doing his best to contain himself from lunging at the dark Legendary Pokémon. While he couldn't ever hope to stop Darkrai, he knew someone who could. ''Jirachi will stop you,'' he stated confidently.

Darkrai laughed raucously, though Nick only looked at him in an unimpressed manner. ''That bitch? She has no fight in her. She never did.''

''She's about to prove you wrong,'' Nick said, giving Darkrai a hard, self-assured stare. ''She will defeat you.''

Darkrai chuckled darkly and reached forward, grabbing Nick by the collar of his shirt. ''Oh, really?''

Nick smirked. ''Yes, and here she comes.'' A very deep sense of déjà vu came over the human now that he thought about it. The unknown voice he heard in his dreams, it was Jirachi! A spark of light appeared, a sliver of hope in his unwavering confidence that Jirachi could defeat Darkrai.

 _''Get away from Nick!''_ Jirachi furiously roared over the burning flames, eyes blazing bright blue from her psychic power. The moment the legendary called out to Darkrai, Nick took advantage of his momentary distraction to pull an arm back and then punch him with all his might in the gut, making him flinch more in surprise than the force of the actual hit.

Jirachi immediately tried to take advantage of the fact Darkrai was momentarily surprised by using Thunder Wave. Arches of blue-tinted electricity swirled around her before a series of bolts emanated from her body and cackled their way towards the dark Legendary. If she could just manage to paralyze him, it would be vastly easier to fight him.

Darkrai chuckled before rapidly melting into the shadows directly underneath him, making the blue bolts harmlessly impact the ground and do nothing. Once the attack had passed, the dark Legendary began to slowly emerge out of the shadows. ''You didn't think I'd fall for a Thunder Wave that easily, did you?'' he questioned in a mocking voice, ascending until he was fully out of the shadow he had hidden in.

Jirachi growled in annoyance, floating to Nick's side. _''No, but you'll fall for something worse soon enough,''_ she threatened him.

''I'll seal your fate once and for all, Jirachi.'' Under the ragged, blood-red collar that framed his head, Darkrai grinned in a very unnervingly way that made Nick's fleshy skin and Jirachi's metallic skin crawl. ''Curiously,'' he began suddenly, seemingly changing the topic. As if resonating with his eerie voice, the wind blew slow and ominously, causing the dark-type's white mane to billow behind him softly. ''Do you know why I am known as the Pitch-Black Pokémon?'' he asked the pair.

At the lack of answer coming from the fearful human and his Wish Maker companion, Darkrai cackled at them. ''After our time together, you should know, Jirachi. How pitiful.'' Darkrai floated back, raising slightly higher into the air. ''I will show you both why.'' Darkrai's eyes shined an unsettling purple light as his power began to flare, causing chills to run down Nick and Jirachi's spines. Before their very eyes, an oozing, black darkness began to seep out of Darkrai's arms as he began to stretch them to the sides. The pure darkness then began to seep out of the rest of his body at a terrifyingly fast rate.

The oozing void cackled maliciously with the Pitch-black Pokémon's power, spreading across his body. Jirachi and Nick watched with wide and fearful eyes, unconsciously moving back at the power display coming from the dark Legendary. Darkrai raised his arms above his head, concentrating the cackling Darkness above him in a malicious purple and black-colored sphere that kept constantly growing in size.

A knot formed in Jirachi's throat, the urge to throw up barely containing itself in her as the disgusting dark vibes crashed against her sensitive psychic senses like a roaring tide, making her feel as if her very mind was violated by the dark Pokémon presence and power.

''Dark. Void.'' Darkrai said in a deep and commanding voice, his teal colored eyes shining deeply in a malevolent, purple glint.

Nick's eyes widened. He knew this Dark Void wouldn't just put them to sleep; he could tell whatever Darkrai was about to unleash was extremely dangerous and more likely would put them to sleep _for good_. ''Jirachi, quick! I wish that every human and Pokémon that could be caught in Darkrai's attack is safe!'' he shouted quickly.

Nick's alarmed voice pierced through Jirachi's fear, making her instantly jump into action. _''Right!''_ she said immediately. Magically, Nick's wish was written on one of her blue wish tags that hanged from the star tips on her head. Then, the tag fell off, burning out in a large flash of sparkles and light. The moment the sparkles disappeared, every single human and Pokémon inside the Pokémon Center building and in the buildings that were nearby all around them were teleported towards the city's outskirts where they would be safe.

And, that was not a moment too late. Darkrai held the orb of putrid darkness high above him, its maleficent aura seemed to spread all around him, damaging and corroding everything it touched. Darkrai chuckled darkly, his deep and raspy voice causing Jirachi to back down until she made contact with Nick's chest. ''Jirachi, I'm going to enjoy killing you so much…'' Darkrai spoke in a faux somber voice, as if already anticipating his move's success in killing her. ''Jirachi, dear, when this attack is over, so will be your life. This is also going to hurt a lot. Feel free to scream because that turns me on,'' he added, his voice cackling with delight as he hurled the putrid orb of shadows downwards directly to Jirachi.

Instinctively, Jirachi psychically pushed Nick to the side so that he wasn't caught in the attack. There was no time to charge up Doom Desire, as such, she knew she had to take the attack head on. She growled and braced herself as the Dark Void swiftly zeroed in on her. The instant the corrosive shadow orb made contact her, Jirachi led out a blood curling scream that resonated high and mighty across the city and pierced Nick's soul like a cold poisoned dagger.

Nothing could have ever prepared Jirachi for the sheer amount of pain that exploded through every single nerve ending in her body. Her very mind was torn by the dark waves of energy that carried within them every single nightmare she could have possible ever had, bombarding her mind and making her live out millions of her worst possible experiences and fears all in the span of seconds. The attack was so horrifying she couldn't think of anything other than the pain, suffering and terrifying nightmares it brought to her. Soon she found she couldn't think straight anymore, everything was going dark and quiet as she felt her very mind shattering and losing itself into a deep, dark void.

Nick screamed at her as he watched the attack completely wash over her, vividly seeing her metallic skin crack and tear apart as her soul wrenching screams turned louder. The attack pierced cleanly through the floor and followed a path down towards the base of the Pokémon Center building while going through each and every level effortlessly, carrying Jirachi along with it. Her horrifyingly piercing shrieks of agony followed the attack's path as it whistled downwards.

Due to the sheer power behind Darkrai's attack, nothing stopped it. The moment the attack made contact with the ground at the base of the building, a wave of pure darkness spread across the ground like a roaring fire from the orb's explosion, with Jirachi right at the blast's core. The dark tide swept across the city streets nearby quickly.

Nick dreadfully watched as the oozing darkness spread across the street below and up to the sky, completely blotting out the stars and the moon above, leaving nothing visible but a dark, dead and murky world around them. With pure horror in his eyes, he watched as cars and lamp posts in the ground below began to disintegrate into the darkness as if it was getting consumed. The buildings surrounding the Pokémon Center high-rise began to corrode as well, with the concrete cracking as it was strained by Darkrai's power. Smaller buildings nearby succumbed under the black sheet of the Dark Void coating the ground. A five-story building just beside the Pokémon Center high rise suddenly gave away and collapsed on itself as the all-consuming darkness corroded and destroyed it, coating everything far and between with its malicious shadows.

''Jirachi!'' Nick screamed down the hole he had seen Jirachi disappear into. ''JIRACHI!'' he roared out when he realized he was no longer hearing her screams. Tears began to appear in the corner of his eyes as he pounded at the floor under him with both fists. He didn't even notice the fact the building he was on was wobbling ever so slightly from side to side as it struggled to remain standing. Nick jumped in fright when he felt Darkrai grab him by the collar of his shirt, this time from behind him. Darkrai flew back and out of the large hole that Jirachi's first Doom Desire had made while carrying the struggling Nick with him, flying back and ascending to the air so they were floating above the building.

Darkrai held Nick in front of him while chuckling darkly. ''I love the sound of your hopeless voice calling out for her name in vain… for she's already dead,'' he stated, making sure Nick had a perfect view of the damaged building in front of him. ''She deserves a tomb, don't you think? I want you to watch this.'' Darkrai's eyes glowed with a shady glint as the dark energy began to surround and focus down the main pillars at the base of the Pokémon Center building, rapidly eroding them. With a snarl, Darkrai made the dark power there explode in a flurry of black blasts. With its main support gone, the forty-story high building began to collapse down. The horrifying sound of concrete and metal tearing and crashing echoed in the quiet night as the building came tumbling down.

''NO! JIRACHI!'' Nick screamed, tears freely streaming down his face as he watched the building collapse right on top of Jirachi. A massive plume of dust and debris coated the lower streets as the entire building crumbled down into a pile of twisted rubble.

''Lovely,'' Darkrai commented, slowly floating down. His eyes glowed in a faint purple light as the dark all around them began to dissipate, leaving nothing but destructing and rotting decay all around them. Darkrai waved his free arm, instantly dissipating the cloud of dust so that they could get a clear sight of the building's remains. ''This is your mate's tomb now,'' he declared. When he reached down, he tossed Nick on top of the rubble and then floated beside him, getting close to his head. ''Pay your last respects to her,'' he whispered somberly in his ear.

Nick dropped to his knees, looking down at the rubble under him while tears freely streamed down his face. ''No… Jirachi… this… this can't be the end. No, it can't be! You're… stronger than this.'' Nick's hands tightened into fists, grabbing a handful of dirt with them. ''Please… please… J-jirachi…'' he said through broken sobs.

Darkrai chuckled but said nothing, taking in great joy of each of the human's dejected words. He watched the human for several long minutes, loving the perfect musical masterpiece that his hurtful mumbles and pleas for Jirachi were. Once he had enough, he wordlessly lifted an arm and held it in front of Nick. A dark power began to swirl all around it as he prepared to take Nick to use him for his own goals. There was nothing else he had to say. He had won and had proven all he needed to prove. It was time to take the ultimate prize he had come for.

Suddenly, the ground quaked and the rubble in front of Darkrai exploded upwards in an extremely violent way, frightening both of them. Darkrai was suddenly pulled downwards as he felt something take a very firm grip on his dusky white mane and then pull it, dragging Darkrai along with it. ''Wha _—_ '' his voice suddenly stopped cold when he came face to face with no other than the legendary he thought he had killed.

''Jirachi!'' Nick shouted joyously, his face visibly regaining some color as his mood suddenly changed from somber to enthusiastic. Jirachi's body was badly wounded, with dozens of deep crevices marring her once perfect metallic skin, but there was an amazing wondrous light surrounding her body. To the human's shock, he watched as the purple and black particles in her wounds were completely obliterated by light, with the damage soon beginning to heal off her skin.

Jirachi pulled on the mane harder, bringing Darkrai's face only mere inches away from her own. Darkrai gazed into her cold, hard eyes with a terrified face. Something had changed in her. He had never seen so much power, determination, willpower, strength and… something else in them that he couldn't quite recognize. Something massive had changed in Jirachi.

Instantly, Darkrai swung one of his arms in a wide arc while a ringed mass of purple and black energy began swirling along it. Jirachi's free arm calmly came forward and easily met it, the bright glow surrounding her body radiating so much intensity that it completely tore the Dark Pulse to shreds. The dark Legendary's attack was completely negated, with what little made it to Jirachi harmlessly dissipating against her now perfectly healed metallic skin. Darkrai's terrified eyes widened in horror.

 _''Darkrai… my love…''_ Jirachi began speaking in a soft and musical voice that made every inch of Darkrai's body tremble with fear. He had never heard such resolve and power in her voice.

''How… HOW!?'' Darkrai questioned. ''You're… you're not supposed to be this powerful! You're not supposed…. You're weak! You're _—_ '' he babbled.

Jirachi pulled down harder to the point their faces were now almost touching. _''It's you who is weak,''_ she said sharply, each syllable of her voice carrying the strength of a thousand poisoned daggers digging into Darkrai's very soul. _''I'm no different than I've always been. But, tonight, I learned something. Something very special. Something you can only learn once in a lifetime. Today I learned what true power is. I learned what it means to truly be a powerful Legendary Pokémon. I learned what is more powerful than anything in the universe: Love. Nothing can match love and the drive it builds into any living being. Today I not only realized that I never loved you. I also realized what it means to truly love someone. Nick has made me feel things that I have never felt before… he's filled me with a power I cannot begin to fathom or describe. The infinite power that defending your loved ones gives us all.''_ Jirachi growled, tightening her grip on Darkrai's mane to the point he winced in pain, but his teal eyes remained unable to tear themselves away from Jirachi's terrifying glare.

 _''And you… Darkrai… it's you who is weak. You know why? That's because…''_ Jirachi took a deep breath, closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them to give Darkrai a pitying look that pierced his soul more than any hard glare could.

 _''There. Is. No. Love. In. You.''_

Each of Jirachi's words tore through Darkrai's soul as he trembled with pure fear and terror. The eye in Jirachi's chest suddenly opened, releasing a blast of light so pure, radiant and beautiful that Darkrai roared in pain as it seared his skin like nothing had ever done before. _''It's time for you to go to sleep.''_

''No!'' Darkrai responded, his voice weak and feeble as terror creeped through him, making him unable to think straight anymore. ''This is what happens when you mess with me, dear! If I don't get the human, you won't get him either!'' he suddenly declared, aiming one of his arms towards Nick as he used Dark Pulse.

Nick gasped, but then stopped when he realized nothing was happening. Darkrai's eyes widened. The light Jirachi was emitting was so powerful that it completely smothered out his Dark Pulse before it even left his now burning skin.

Jirachi leaned forward, while also using her grip on Darkrai's mane to pull him ever so closer to her. _''Game over, my love,''_ Jirachi whispered into his ear, and then leaned forward and give his cheek a gentle, mocking kiss. Darkrai screamed as the contact completely burned his skin and melted it down, disintegrating it painfully. Darkrai thrashed about, screaming as Jirachi's power and aura completely overpowered and enveloped his own, throwing him into a world of pain not unlike what he had done to her earlier. A hum began to fill the air as the intensity of the blasting light from the eye in her chest reached peak power. Having fully charged up another Doom Desire, she aimed upwards and quietly released the attack, hitting Darkrai at point blank range.

Like a shooting star, a truly gigantic blast of light was fired skywards. It was now Darkrai's screams that echoed across the city as the shining star streaked into the heavens, releasing a light so powerful and radiant that it illuminated the entire landscape as if it was daytime.

Nick and Jirachi watched together as the Doom Desire exploded into a massive sphere of light miles high into the sky, sending a wave of pure, loving light that stretched vastly across the heavens and a gigantic echoing boom to blast all around the landscape.

''Jirachi!'' Nick shouted suddenly, turning around and hugging the legendary tightly. ''I thought you…''

 _''Shh, it's okay,''_ Jirachi answered, her soft voice kind and loving. _''It's all truly over now.''_

Nick could barely contain a sob, his aching heart easing as he held Jirachi close to him. ''I'm so happy, but… Jirachi? Could you get us out of here, like right now? Before anyone realizes it's our fault what happened and we're made accountable for it?'' the anxious voice of Nick asked.

Jirachi smiled back at him and nodded, hugging the human around his midsection tightly before teleporting them both away in a bright flash of light. With that, they completely vanished as the light in the sky also slowly vanished as well, leaving the city to fall back into the darkness and quiet of night once more.

* * *

It was raining softly. The air was chilly in the cool night as human and Pokémon looked at each other deeply. Jirachi had teleported them away from Petram City to a small town nearby. Both were silent, unable to find the right words.

At last, the legendary couldn't hold it in anymore. Everything what had happened came pouring out, and she burst out in tears. _''I'm so sorry,''_ she spoke between hiccups. _''I've been such a cold, heartless person to you.''  
_  
''Hey, hey!'' Nick soothed her, hugging the crying Pokémon tenderly. ''It's okay! I've forgiven you for that, remember?''

 _''But I've been lying to you the entire time! I never should've brought you to Petram City,''_ she wallowed in sadness.

''Yet you protected me with your life! Even after all the things you've done, you tried to make things right as best as you could. It's a quality only a few posses, and I'm so glad you went through such an extreme effort to save me.''

A pause.

''What I'm trying to say is: I love you, Jirachi.''

She only began to cry harder, which surprised the human.

 _''I don't deserve you,''_ she sobbed, _''How can you love me after what I put you through?''  
_  
Comforting the legendary with coos and soothing words, he kissed her on the lips passionately, making the upset Pokémon moan in gentle pleasure.

''I love you for your fiery personality, your will to please someone with every fiber of your being. You make me feel—no _be_ absolutely happy. You and you alone have given me the best week of my life.''

Fresh tears welled up from the Pokémon's eyes. She kissed the human longingly while they streamed from her cheeks. _''I love you too, Nick,''_ she confessed between kisses.

 _''Please, please be my mate?''_ she asked him almost desperately.

Nick's reply was from the bottom of his heart, ''I would love to be nothing more.''

Jirachi watched him teary eyed, but from the inside, she felt like she was going to explode from happiness. Her body longed for him. She wanted nothing else but to feel him inside of her.

 _''Then mate with me,''_ she whispered.

* * *

The couple had found themselves a room in another Pokémon Center. It was still pretty elegant, but not as great as their previous one.

They didn't care in the slightest.

Jirachi had her lips locked with Nick's hungrily, pushing him unto the bed with her psychic powers as her tongue roamed inside his mouth. Her body shivered in his embrace, pleasure building up as his tongue went over hers eagerly, creating sparks of pure bliss that travelled through her spine.

The cute little noises the Pokémon made on top of him only aroused Nick. Her aggressive movements combined with pure eagerness spurred the human on, pushing against her tongue in wanton need as they mixed their saliva together.

He let his hands roam over her cute little body, her backside, and her streamers, but stopped once he had found her ass. Gently squeezing it, the legendary shuddered at his touch. While one hand still explored her small, but firm behind, Nick moved the other back to the front, venturing a finger between her legs until he found her damp slit, already slick with her love juices.

Jirachi broke the kiss and blushed deeply when she felt Nick's finger explore her wet lips, the teasing stimulation absolute heaven for the Pokémon. _''Please, Nick,''_ she squirmed while growling playfully, _''Do you want me to beg for it?''_

Nick grinned, his finger already slick with her fluids. He decided to give this cutie-pie what she wanted, and slowly began to sink his finger in her hot folds, making the psychic and steel type gasp.

She was simply blazing, her warm walls contracting against him like a vice. Slowly, he began to move in and out, lubricating the Pokémon nicely for what was about to come. Moans echoed freely into the air, the legendary biting her lower lip at the sheer pleasure Nick was bringing her with just a finger.

With extreme excitement, she locked her lips with Nick's again, giving him small pecks on his face as she went and eventually kissing lower over his chin and neck, until she found her first obstacle, his shirt. Growling, she practically tore it from his body, Nick's finger building a steady rhythm inside Jirachi's hot pussy in the meantime.

She was leaking fluids like crazy, and the human was as hard as a rock, the legendary kissing and leaving hickey's behind as she moved further over his naked torso. Jirachi's cheeks felt warm when she finally reached his pants and the tent it had pitched. Unbuttoning it was fairly easy, and once his underwear was out of the way too, her prize was revealed.

It was beautiful, and she wanted this piece of meat inside of her cunny right now. It stood at attention proudly, and the psychic and steel type gave it a tender kiss on the tip. Nick moaned approvingly, pre forming on his glans which Jirachi eagerly licked up.

She began to let her tongue swirl over his tip like a lollipop, sucking on the first few inches with much enthusiasm. The throbs his dick made and the moans from Nick told the Pokémon she was doing a very good job.

The human in the meantime had retracted his finger from Jirachi's wet cunt, and gave her fluids a curious lick. It was earthy, pungent and the musky smell drove him wild. He wanted more, and with some effort, placed himself upright on the bed.

Moving Jirachi's body the other way around, she was now in a position that she could keep sucking on his cock, while he could bury his face into her quivering vent. As he kissed her opening, she let out a groan of pure bliss, his wet tongue soon pushing inside her love tunnel.

Her clit was desperately begging for attention, so Nick couldn't help but let his finger go over it, making the legendary squeak. _''Oh Nick, that feels wonderful!''_ Jirachi said with her mouth around his dick. _''Please go deeper.''_

He complied, his tongue pushing in as deeply as possible. Her musk was intoxicating; the fluids she produced were eagerly lapped up by the human as he kissed her clit. The legendary was trying to get as much of his twitching cock into her mouth as possible—the salty treat she got a reward that kept her going.

Moaning again, she got off his dick with an audible pop, kissing it once more while she squirmed around the tongue that was buried deep inside of her. Slowly, she began to move Nick's head away with her psychic. She couldn't wait any longer. Once his tongue was out of her wet snatch, she positioned her rump on his manhood, rubbing it against her over-excited, quivering lips.

Facing away from him, she looked back at Nick when she felt his hands going around her midsection, silently asking if it was okay to proceed.

 _''Fuck me,''_ Jirachi stated lewdly.

It was the only thing the human had to hear. Slowly, he inserted the tip of his throbbing dick inside her soft pussy. They both moaned loudly. Gently, he began to push the small legendary further on his dick, enjoying the sensation of her tight warm walls around his twitching member. Her cunt snuggled his manhood firmly and in all the right places while her vaginal fluids made the job of pushing in a lot easier.

 _''Please, more!''_ The legendary murmured as inch after inch of Nick's hot shaft disappeared into her depths. She wanted to feel him all the way, and wouldn't be satisfied until he was balls deep inside of her. She almost stretched around his cock, a feeling that made the legendary feel full and complete. Finally, with a grunt, Nick bottomed out, his entire cock inserted deeply into the horny Jirachi.

 _''I love you,''_ she whispered sweetly.

''I love you too,'' Nick responded just as sweetly.

And with that, Nick began to move up, the friction that the action created making both parties grunt in pure bliss. Jirachi's pussy desperately tried to keep him inside, her tight walls contracting wildly, but it was no use. Once only his glans was still inserted, he pushed her back down again while thrusting upwards with his hips. With a wet smack, he was all the way inside of her hot tunnel once more, Jirachi shuddering visibly at the heavenly feeling.

 _''Please, faster!''_ She begged.

Nick grunted in approval, his thrusts getting quicker as he grew accustomed to her tightness. The feeling on his dick was indescribable. Jirachi's cute moans were music to his ears as he fucked the legendary energetically.

 _''Yes! Nick, fuck me!''_ Jirachi cried out in pure ecstasy, her eyes closed and tongue lolling out of her mouth. His cock was making her feel so good. She never wanted him to leave her. Pre continually formed on Nick's cock head, which was then swallowed up vigorously by the legendary's cervix.

The human was getting into a rhythm, pushing his dick deeply into Jirachi's hot cunt every time. His balls smacked against her underside, the contents ready to be released inside of this cute little Pokémon. The sheer sensation of Nick's thrust was driving Jirachi wild; she wanted to feel him empty every last drop of his warm semen inside of her.

Nick's movements grew more erratic, sometimes speeding up, other times just being content with being all the way in the psychic and steel type's tight, quivering slit.

''You're cute,'' he stated as he fucked her silly, the Pokémon being unable to respond. The smell of sex was filling the air while the human thrust wildly into the legendary who could only moan, high on euphoria as she was.

Finally, Nick began to feel his end approaching, and warned Jirachi about his inevitable climax. ''I-I'm about to cum,'' he stuttered between groans.

 _''Inside!''_ Jirachi commanded. _''Dear Arceus help me if you dare to cum anywhere but inside of me!''  
_  
The human kept on pounding the legendary's wet snatch obediently until he couldn't hold out anymore, and hilted himself inside of her to the brink, his orgasm hitting him like a truck.

 _''Yessss,''_ Jirachi hissed, feeling spurt after spurt of his sticky spunk coat her insides white. The feeling was more than enough to make her go over the edge herself, her blush deepening and loud squeaks coming out of her mouth as her pussy spasmed uncontrollably. Her walls clamped down on Nick's cock; trying to milk him for all that he was worth while she squirted a healthy amount of her love juices out of her sensitive snatch.

The human was seeing stars, his dick stuffing Jirachi to the brink with his cum until it began to flow out of her, dribbling past his shaft to his emptied balls. Jirachi felt numb, the warmth that spread through her underside, courtesy of Nick's orgasm, was giving her pleasure that she never had felt before.

 _''Ah Nick, you made a mess of me,''_ she spoke sultrily, wiggling her rump for emphasis. The human's manhood was still inserted all the way in Jirachi's cunny, and he wasn't planning on leaving that place soon.

''I couldn't help it,'' he complained, ''You're just too adorable not to make a mess of.''

 _''Hmmm, I love it though! I want you to fill me up like this every day.''_

Nick gave a sad smile, ''You know tomorrow is going to be my last day here, right?''

 _''Hush now,''_ Jirachi spoke with a crack in her voice. She didn't want to think about it. _''Let's just enjoy each other while we still can.''  
_  
And so they did. Basking in the afterglow of their mating, Jirachi smiled lewdly. _''Do you think you can go at it again?''  
_  
''Darn, so soon? You are one sexy Jirachi!''

 _''I just love you and want to show it to you! My body is all yours.''  
_  
''Even if I want to do anal?''

 _''If it makes you happy, then yes, we could try it.''  
_  
''Okay, I was only joking, but now you are the sexiest girl ever!''

Jirachi perked a brow playfully at his response. _''For agreeing to do anal with you?''_

Nick grinned, ''Absolutely.''

The rest of the day was spent making love to each other, until the two couldn't move anymore.

* * *

 **Final day.  
**  
''Hey,'' Nick said softly. Jirachi had been in a sad mood all day, something that was pretty justified. The human was going to leave in half an hour, whisked away from her forever and there was nothing she could do about it.

''I got something for you,'' he stated, holding up a wrapped up gift.

 _''Nick, you shouldn't have,''_ she replied hoarsely, taking the gift with a heavy heart; this was his goodbye gift to her. Opening it up, it contained a beautiful lavender scarf. Beaming, she kissed him on the lips sensually before putting the accessory on.

''It looks really nice on you,'' he complimented, finding it difficult to talk.

 _''I'll wear it until it's worn, and then I'll fix it and wear it until it gets worn again,''_ she said with a bittersweet smile.

Her face fell, and even Nick didn't know what to say. _''It's unfair! I love you with all of my heart, so why can't we be together?''_ She questioned on the brink of tears.

''I don't know. But our love was never meant to be, sweetheart. Even if I could stay, you'll be going to sleep for another thousand years in a couple of hours. And I wouldn't stay even if I could. I need to take care of Kate. I can't neglect my little sister.''

 _''I know,''_ she murmured softly, hugging his body warmly. Nick hugged her back, her scarf tickling his neck and chin.

They stayed like that, not saying another word until Nick felt his body start to disappear.

''Well, this is it. Goodbye Jirachi, I love you,'' the human spoke, thick with emotion while tears rolled from his eyes.

 _''I love you too Nick. Forever and ever. Until we meet again somewhere.''  
_  
They kissed, their salty lips trembling in each other's embrace until the human's body completely vanished from Jirachi's grasp, leaving one lonely Wish Maker behind.

 _''I wish...''_

* * *

Nick opened his eyes with a groan. He had a headache, and didn't know why at first, until the memories came flooding back to him again. Looking around, startled, he noticed he was back in his apartment.

His Blackberry and headset were at his usual spot, and when Nick began to check for pictures that he had made throughout the entire week, he came up empty. 'Then was it all a dream?'

It couldn't be. Jirachi and all the other experiences felt way too vivid. Especially when he fucked the legendary into her tight backdoor. That was something his mind couldn't have come up with!

Sighing with disappointment, he went to the living room, where his sister Kate was happily eating some Captain Crunch. Seeing her made the young man smile though, and he rushed over to her to give her a big hug.

''Nick! What are you doing?'' She asked, startled.

''Just appreciating my lil' sister, that's all.''

''You're weird! Get off of me!''

Laughing, he let go of Kate, making some breakfast for himself before joining his sister on the couch.

* * *

Weeks passed, and everything returned to a normal routine for Nick again. His father passed away in that time, but luckily, with a lot of support, his mum was steadily getting better. No nightmares were haunting the student anymore. Everything seemed to go smoothly.

''Nick, a package arrived for you!'' his sister called out to him.

''Who's the sender?''

''Doesn't say.''

Frowning, Nick took the package and opened it, only for him to widen his eyes. Inside was a letter, and when he had read it ten times over, he neatly put it away.

The box also held a couple of items: a case with a Gravel badge, a Pokédex, Pokéflute, Dawn Stone, Ultraball, TM87, and a black and white picture of him and Jirachi in traditional clothes, while she was kissing his cheek softly.

The human very nearly broke out in tears, but held his composure. Smiling bitterly, he called out to his sister.

''Kate? What was that cheesy romance flick you watched a couple of months ago? I'd like to watch it with you!''

He left the room, the letter something he would cherish for a lifetime.

* * *

Dear Nick,

Idiot! You didn't really think you would get rid of me that easily, did you?

At the moment that I'm writing this letter, I'm about to take a little nap.

Your scarf is pretty comfy, actually. The mountains can be pretty cold.

I've sent you a package with all the items you bought at the market since all the original ones were lost in the destruction.

I miss you, Nick. I feel very lonely without you. Do you miss me too?

Getting sleepy. I love you, Nick. Remember that I always will. Throughout everything we did together, I was the happiest I've ever been.

Take good care, my sweet human. You see that kiss mark on the letter? That's for you.

Yours truly and only yours forever,

Your mate, Jirachi.


	2. AN

**Oh, hello there, lovely reader. As you can see, this is not actually a chapter, but merely an authors note. Have I already told you how dazzling you're looking today? No? Well, that's because you are! ;)**

 **In all seriousness, this story means the world to me. It's all based off of the very first human on Pokémon picture I've ever seen. So naturally, when I finished it two years ago, I knew it was going to be full of spelling mistakes. Editing such a massive beast that used to be 29k words, wasn't easy. But now, I took that challenge, and realized that in two years my writing skills have grown quite a bit. As such, I didn't just edit it, but took it up myself to rewrite parts to completely give it a new layer of paint, so to speak. Especially my buddy LovelyMew helped me a lot with the battle, so he has my unending gratitude. Unfortunately, he can only be found on Sofurry.**

 **I just want to thank everybody for reading this in advance. This authors note will be deleted in two weeks from now. I certainly hope you enjoyed the story and please leave me a review if you can share a few kind words or just some constructive criticism in general. I love to interact with my readers and will most likely respond to what you have to say. :) In any case, take care, and maybe we'll see each other in the future.**

 **~TAD**


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